


Master of the Broken Wheel

by LavastormSW, OliTheOlive



Category: Avatar (TV), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Ending, Gen, M/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Story - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-01-20 08:52:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 85,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1504325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavastormSW/pseuds/LavastormSW, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OliTheOlive/pseuds/OliTheOlive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been twenty years since the Fire Nation's victory over Avatar Aang. The cycle is broken, or so Phoenix King Ozai tells everyone. After the Great Fire, the Fire Nation killed all female waterbenders and enslaved everyone else to work in farms and rejuvenate the Earth Kingdom continent. The outlook is grim, as the Fire Nation has an iron grip on the world. Follow two young waterbender twins as they attempt to fight back and restore order to the chaos and suffering.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightmares and Daydreams

**Author's Note:**

> Lava's note: So for years I've been a huge ATLA fan, and I've always wondered what would have happened if Ozai had beaten Aang and the Fire Nation had successfully taken over the world. I put so much thought into it, world building and thinking about everything that would have happened. I only changed three things at the end of the show to make the Fire Nation win, then extrapolated from that. First, Ozai killed Aang when he removed Ozai's restraints after failing to kill him for moral reasons. Ozai didn't hesitate and struck Aang while his back was turned (seriously Aang wtf). Second, Toph missed the impossible shot from the ground to the aircraft, because how the hell did she even make it in the first place, she's blind, and so Toph, Sokka, and Suki drowned and failed to stop the airships, which went on to burn the entire continent. Third, there was an airship that went to the Norther Water Tribe and struck them from the air, burning (melting?) everything and killing most of the waterbenders, specifically targeting females so the avatar cycle wouldn't be able to continue. 
> 
> The problem with this was that I have zero motivation to write fanfiction, so this idea was bouncing around in my head for years until I asked my friend if she wanted to rp it with me. Initially she said yes, but it didn't pan out and the story was dropped again. 
> 
> BUT THEN I met my lovely girlfriend OlitheOlive and she thought it was a great idea and we created whole new characters and got to it. Recently I wanted to share it with other people since I'm super proud with how it's turning out, so I've adapted and rewritten some parts of it to make it less "back and forth" to seem less like a roleplay and more like a story. 
> 
> Most of the characters in this fic are original, but there are some from the series. I'm not putting their names in the character slot for potential spoilers. I hope that doesn't turn anyone off, for I really think this is a great fic and I'm really proud of it. 
> 
> That's all I have to say. Enjoy the story!
> 
> *Also, please tell me if you see and formatting, spelling, or grammatical errors and I'll fix them right away.*

Black snow. That was the first thing they noticed. Snow combined with ash... the harbinger of doom. Many of the adults had seen it before, when the Fire Nation attacked the Northern Water Tribe during the war. They almost lost it that day, but the Avatar saved them. But there was no Avatar this time. The firebenders swarmed over the small island, targeting the women and slaying them mercilessly. They were overpowering. The acrid smell of fire and burned flesh hung in the air, clinging to everything it touched like a cobweb. Screams, shrieks, yells, and the sickening crackle of flame formed an unholy din, tormenting all that heard it. The dark of night was shattered as balls of fire flared up as bright as the sun before dying out, only to be replaced by more. Chaos reigned as the soldiers captured the men, roughly throwing them onto their ships, bound and gagged, and slaughtered those who would not lend to be captured. One woman valiantly tried to protect her twin sons, but she too was-

“Mother!!” Kano shrieks, though no sound escapes him. He wakes in a cold sweat, heart beating wildly in his ears, breath coming in haggard gasps. He looks around and realizes where he is, though it’s not much relief. A Fire Nation prison barracks, surrounded by other benders. He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his short, dirty black hair. He’s been having these nightmares for years; he can’t stop reliving that day. The worst day of his life, when his mother was taken from him and he was dragged off to work in this hellhole. At least he wasn’t separated from his twin, Awatok. At least he has him.

“Awatok... are you awake?” Kano whispers, turning to look at his brother, who responds by rolling to face his twin on what passes as his bed: little more than a thin pad on the ground with an even thinner blanket.  

“I am... was it the dream again?” he asks, even though he doesn’t need to. It’s always the same nightmare, and he can do little to stop it. He crawls across the small space between their beds and hugs Kano gently. If he can’t make the nightmares stop, this is the least he could do, he thinks. He wants more than anything for his brother to have peace of mind and be safe, but between these dreams and Kano’s insistence on starting fights with the guards, it’s endless work trying to make that happen. If peace of mind is even possible in a prison camp...

“Yeah,” Kano whispers, hugging back, clinging to his twin. Awatok’s the only solace Kano gets in this hellhole. He’s the only person he trusts, hell, he’s the only person he _likes_. “No matter how many times I have it, it never gets better... never gets easier to deal with.” He takes a deep breath and forces back tears. He can’t cry, not now, not right before he has to get up and face everyone. “I just need a second.”

“We have at least fifteen seconds before the wake-up call,” Awatok replies, intending it to be soothing, “I’ll ask around if anyone has something to help you sleep for a few nights, okay?” It’s a long shot, he knows, that one of their fellow prisoners would have an herb or medicine like that. Every personal possession is taken from new prisoners who come in, but there’s always the chance that someone bargained something off a not particularly upstanding guard. While he ponders and calculates probabilities, he gently strokes Kano’s back to help his twin calm down. He knows, after all, how much Kano would hate losing face by being seen in such a ‘weak’ state. Not that he sees what’s so weak about crying, but he knows that Kano sees it that way, so for his brother’s sake he’ll help to hide the moment.

Kano takes another deep breath. “Thanks... I’m not getting my hopes up, though,” he whispers. “I can deal with this.” He hopes. The dream stays the same, but the terror associated with it has been steadily increasing these last few weeks. It always does that near a full moon. It may be linked to the gain in power he and all waterbenders get as the moon waxes, but he’s not sure. He doesn’t know what else it would be, unless it’s...

“Let’s just get up.” He doesn’t want to think about the other possibility for his periodically worsening nightmares. He grunts as he sits up, abdomen aching slightly. Awatok catches the slight sound of pain but says nothing of it. As if on cue, the bell rings to signal the start of the day. The other prisoners begin to stir and a quiet murmur ripples and grows through the barracks as they begin to converse in low whispers. Awatok’s stomach growls impatiently as the twins stand.

“I’m still not sure why it gets so excited over that gruel,” Awatok comments with a smile, hoping to lighten Kano’s mood a bit. He used to be the more serious of them, since he always liked to calmly consider things and think ahead. Since the attack, though, Kano has successfully usurped his role as the serious one just by how much brooding he does.

“Yeah, well, it’s food. Better than starving to death I guess.” Kano stands up and looks at his twin, reflecting on how their eyes meet perfectly, like looking in a mirror. Not that there are any mirrors here. Kano pats him on the back. “C’mon, let’s go. Don’t want them to run out before we get some,” he says, attempting a joke. They never run out of that disgusting stuff. The twins walk out of the barracks and head over to the mess hall.

-

A young firebender steps out onto his balcony overlooking the majority of the farm. He hates the view. He hates seeing all of the forced labor every time he looks outside. He hates this damn place and all of the firebenders within it, even his father. No, especially his father. He’s called Azon, but a better name for him would be the devil. A more horrible man has never lived.

“Zykun! You better be up and dressed by now! We have a very important guest coming today!” Azon barks from the hallway.

“Yes, father!” Zykun calls back, keeping his voice light but clenching his fists tightly. “I’m up!” At no reply from his father, Zykun figures he has a few more minutes of solitude before he must go and join him for breakfast. He sighs and turns back to the window, looking down at the slaves just waking up, wondering if he can spot the waterbending twins he’s so fond of. He wishes he was born a waterbender. They heal and sustain life, whereas all he can do is destroy. He tries to make the slaves’ lives here just a bit easier, but it’s hard with every guard watching his every move and reporting them to his father. Still, though, he does what he can, which is mostly smuggling bread to give them or calling off unruly guards who get a little too excited about punishing them. But one of the twins, Kano his name is, never accepts his help. He doesn’t know why and it frustrates him to no end. He’s just trying to be nice, trying to give them something other than that sludge to eat or making the guards back down, trying to make their lives a little more bearable. He doesn’t know what else he can do. His father is unrelenting and will harshly punish him if he gets too friendly with the prisoners, as he has in the past. He bears many scars from his father, though Azon is not the cause of them all. He always wears clothes that hide these blemishes on his skin, ashamed to show the world.

From his balcony, he spots some familiar faces that pull him out of his thoughts. He watches the waterbender twins walk to the mess hall for breakfast, wondering what they’re thinking about. Probably how much their lives suck. Zykun wishes he could just let them all go, but that’s impossible. He sighs in defeat and turns away, walking to his bathroom to get ready for the day. He washes his face and pulls his hair up into a topknot after dressing in modest clothes. He hates wearing anything too flashy because it might seem like he’s lording his status as the owner’s son over everyone else, especially the prisoners, which would give them the wrong idea.

He joins his father for breakfast. They don’t say much. They never do. He’s not close to his father at all; Azon’s a cruel and sadistic man. Zykun liked going to school in the homeland, far away from him and this damned place. At least there he had friends, but once he was done, Azon pulled him back here for whatever reason. He hates it, but he can’t very well leave. His father wouldn’t ever let him. He’s contemplated running away, but he has nowhere to go and if he left, no one would protect the prisoners from the guards’, and especially Azon’s, abuse. He just wishes there was something more he could do.

“Admiral Kuzo is coming today,” his father finally says after what seems like hours of silence. “I want you to show him what you’ve been learning. He’s very anxious to see your skills.”

“Yes, father,” Zykun replies obediently. Azon loves showing him off. Zykun’s bending skills are truly amazing; he’s a real prodigy, or so Azon says. The only thing he can’t do is shoot lightning, which frustrates his father and his personal trainer to no end. Every time Zykun tries, it blows up in his face. His instructor says it’s because he has too much inner turmoil, but Zykun has no idea what that means. Maybe it stems from the fact that he hates what he is. Maybe it’s because he never thinks he’s good enough. Maybe it’s his anger and hatred for his father. Whatever the reason, he just can’t do it, not even to appease his father. The servants clear the dishes when they finish and Zykun follows his father out into the yard to meet his trainer, dreading another day in this hell.


	2. Bitter Work

After breakfast in the mess hall, the twins trudge out to their assigned area for the day. It’s harvesting season, so they’re collecting fruit off the bushes in their designated area: 20 square acres of baked earth, hot sun, and thorned branches. While they work, Awatok strategizes.

“I might try asking the owner’s son,” he says with a carefully crafted casual tone, glancing at Kano who is picking fruit a few feet away, “He’s bound to have all sorts of medicines.”

He is aware that this plan could backfire one way or another: either the owner’s son could refuse and punish them or he could get caught and his father would punish them. And there’s always the possibility that merely suggesting it will gain him an angry outburst from Kano and the cold shoulder for the rest of the morning. But, after careful rational review, it seems like the most likely source of medicine for his brother, so he’s willing to take the risk. 

Kano snorts. “That bastard? Awatok, the dreams aren’t _that_ bad. I’m not desperate enough to ask that _fire rat_ for help,” he hisses softly. He knows that if any of the guards hear him badmouthing the owner’s son, he’ll be badly punished. “He’s a rich bastard who likes to make himself feel better by pretending to help us in small, meaningless ways. If he really wanted to help, he’d kill his father and take over the farm for himself and maybe improve the living conditions of everyone, not just his _favorites_. Selfish prick.”  


“It might not be that easy to kill his father and take over the farm,” Awatok points out, “You’re making things too simple; there’s lots of variables.”

He goes back to picking fruit with a frown. Kano is so stubborn and impractical sometimes. I mean, he wants better living conditions for everyone, too. Hell, he wants freedom for everyone while he was wishing for things. But that’s no reason to refuse help, even small kindnesses, when it’s offered. He speaks up again.

“Besides, even if he is being selfish and only helping his favorites, we’re some of his favorites, Kano,” he says, speaking low so the guards wouldn’t hear, “Why not turn his selfishness into something better by sharing what he gives us with the others?”

Kano just grunts in response. He doesn’t understand how his brother can even think about accepting help from that monster. The Fire Nation killed thousands of people in the war, and more importantly, they killed their mother. All of them are the same. They’re all selfish, inconsiderate, horrible monsters that burn everything they hate. None of them are good. After a long pause, Kano changes the subject.  
“Awatok... do you have nightmares?”

Awatok doesn’t answer at first, surprised by the question. Though really he should have seen it coming, he reminds himself as he answers.

“Sometimes. I had them a lot right after... you know,” he says, “But not as much anymore.” He pauses, stops his picking to look at his twin for a moment, then turns back to his work. “I mean, you’ve always been more sensitive than me. It must be hard for you to turn off a feeling, right? Or a memory.”

“Yeah... but it’s been four years. I don’t know why it’s still so vivid...” He sighs. “I’m just glad it’s not every night. It comes and goes, but it... it’s really intense around the full moon. I don’t know why.” He’s not going to say very much more about his theories in case one of the other slaves is listening in. They might rat him out if they found out the truth about him... and he definitely doesn’t want that.

“It’s probably just the increase in power we all get,” Awatok says, glancing at Kano again, “or something like that.”

He can guess at what Kano’s real concern might be, but this is not the place to talk about it. He makes a mental note to ask about the dreams again tonight in the barracks, after the guards are gone and the other slaves are asleep.

A passing guard snaps at them, “No chit-chatting! You’ve got work to do, maggots.”

Kano glares at the guard as he passes, but he’s not in any mood to start a fight. Not right now.

\- 

“Again!”

Zykun glances over at his father, wondering why he’s even trying. He can’t shoot lightning, it always fails, but Azon keeps pushing him to. He hired a private teacher to continue Zykun’s firebending training, which, unfortunately for Zykun, means lighting, among other things. They don’t teach the most advanced firebending forms, like lightningbending, in school, necessitating private tutors. Zykun’s already advanced well past the school’s highest level, but lightning still slips through his fingers. He just can’t do it. Not that his father cares. In his eyes, Zykun can’t shoot lightning because he’s too weak, and weakness must be eradicated. 

Zykun sighs and runs through the form again. Lightning crackles at his fingertips, but it fizzles out as always when he tries to shoot it.

“You’re too passive, too meek,” the instructor says. “You need to be strong, steady, determined, and fierce to be able to control lightning, to make it bend to your will. Apparently you are none of these things.”  


“I’m sorry, I’m trying,” Zykun says, exasperated. 

“You’re not trying hard enough!” Azon exclaims. “This failure has gone on long enough. I want results by the end of the day, or else.” Zykun watches his father leave, knowing what threat lurks behind his father’s words. He’s been punished and seen enough to know what his father is capable of. With grim thoughts in mind, he runs through the form again.


	3. The Revelation

By now it’s past midday and Awatok has given up the idea of asking the owner’s son for medicine. With Kano’s reluctance and the risk of being caught, the odds have tipped to a negative balance. Instead, he’s decided to try one of the sneakier fellow prisoners, who usually has one or two luxuries available. Whether this decision will hold through the end of the day remains to be seen; Awatok has a habit of talking himself out of things. He wipes his fruit- and dirt-stained hands on his tunic, though the fabric is so dirty it’s hardly worth the effort.

“When is our next turn for the bath?” he whispers to Kano, “I could really use one.”

Kano shrugs. He rarely bathes; he hates it. Waterbenders are always supervised very closely when bathing and he’s very self-conscious about his body. He feels too exposed. 

“I dunno. It’s not like it matters. We’re just going to get all sweaty and gross again tomorrow, so why bother? It’s the same damn thing day in and day out. I don’t see how being clean is any better than being dirty. Besides, you know I don’t like bathing.” He of all people should know why Kano doesn’t bathe.

“Well, I do,” Awatok responds, but his voice lacks the peevish quality one might expect in such a retort. “I like feeling clean, even if it’s only for a little while. But never mind, it was a silly question.” Kano just grunts in response. 

They return to their work and Awatok’s thoughts turn to wondering if his twin was always so cantankerous. It’s a strain to remember a time that he wasn’t, but it somehow seems to Awatok that Kano’s attitude darkened majorly four years ago. Of course, for good reason, he thinks with a heavy sigh, wishing all the same that it wasn’t so.

Kano glances up at his brother as he sighs, guessing what’s on his mind. He’s always worried about Kano and his apparent attitude change. Well, if Awatok had nightmares every night, he’d become sour, too. He decides to change the subject.

“Do you ever think we’ll get out of here?” He highly doubts it, but he can’t help hoping. After all, hope is all they have. Hope for a rescue, for a savior... for the Avatar to not be dead. But Phoenix King Ozai killed him two decades ago at the end of the war... while he was in the Avatar State. From what Kano’s learned, that means no more Avatar. Ever. The cycle’s broken.

“Eventually, we might,” Awatok nods, “You know I like to be practical, but...it’s always possible that we’ll really escape and be free again, if we can think up a plan.” He turns and smiles at Kano reassuringly, reading the fruitless hope for another Avatar in his brother’s eyes. But he doesn’t bring it up aloud, because he knows a logical assessment of that hope would only hurt Kano, and what else is there to say about it? So he stays silent, and smiles, and hopes it will cheer Kano up at least a little. His twin glances up and a small smile forms on his lips, reassured by his brother’s. He glances around to see if there are any guards within earshot before continuing. 

“I’ve been thinking about it... a lot, actually. We might be able to con the owner’s son into helping us get out if we’re careful about it,” he murmurs quietly, looking back down at the bush.

Awatok pauses his berry-picking, surprised. “But you hate him...I thought you didn’t want his help?” He is referring to Kano’s earlier rejection of his medicine-plan, of course, not seeing how duping the owner’s son could be (delightfully) different from pleading with him for pity-favors. They are both getting help, after all... right?

“Not for the little things, no. This is a big thing and nearly impossible without his help. There are guards everywhere, and-” He stops as a firebender nears them, then resumes speaking once he’s out of earshot again. “And they’re all firebenders. We can’t possibly fend them all off... but he might be able to. We can use him, then throw him to the dogs.”

“That seems harsh,” Awatok says, but shrugs, “If it helps us escape, though, it would be worth it...” Awatok’s mind buzzes as he weighs the pros and cons of such an escape attempt. To be honest, he has never considered it seriously before, only as a slim possibility. He pauses his work for a moment to meet Kano’s eyes, his expression serious.

“Are we really going to try this?”

Kano sighs and looks down at the bush. “No... probably not. We’d more than likely die before we even got through the bars... but it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?” The entire complex is surrounded by three inch thick solid steel bars. When bent properly, water can cut through metal... but they’d need a lot of it, and there isn’t a good source nearby. The river’s too far away and the pipe that connects to it is sealed and guarded at all hours. There’s just no feasible way of cutting through the bars. “Besides, where would we even go? There’s nothing for miles... it’s all just burned forest.”

“Yeah,” Awatok nods, pondering for a long moment before adding, “We’d need water. Could we get it from the pipe?” Kano’s hopeful talk has infected him, too, and now he can’t help but think about the possibility of escaping. Even if it is a slim... very slim possibility.

“No, it’s sealed in like three different places and guarded all the time. We’d die before we could break it open.” The waterbenders are made to bend large amounts of water from the underground pipe out to the fields to water the plants. They’re closely guarded and supervised while doing so, of course, and one wrong move will earn them a fierce burn, unconsciousness, and severe punishment. Kano’s learned this from experience, and still bears the scars from it. “Hell, we wouldn’t even get close to it before they-” Kano abruptly shuts up as another guard passes them. “Before they got us,” he finishes.

“You’re right,” Awatok sighs, “It’s just a silly dream, after all. We’d never make it out.” He goes back to his work, picking berries in earnest to distract himself from his disappointment. If only there was a way to get to that pipe without being taken down by the guards’ firebending...

Kano sighs and looks up as the bell rings, signalling dinner. They only get two meals a day, and they work constantly between them. It’s intentionally exhausting, as tired slaves can’t rebel. “Dinnertime,” he says flatly. More of the same slop. They turn in their baskets and start to head to the mess hall when a disgustingly familiar face pops up.

“Hey,” Zykun says with a small smile, falling in line next to the twins. They ignore him. “I snuck you guys something from the house.” He produces a couple rolls of bread from his sleeve and holds them out. Kano doesn’t acknowledge his presence, but Awatok sees the opportunity and quickly snatches them, hiding them in his pockets. He mutters a hasty thank you. Perhaps what Kano says is true, that this guy is only trying to ease his guilt by pretending to help out, but bread is bread. Awatok’s never been one to turn down gifts with a practical use, and bread is much better than what they normally feed the prisoners. Still, out of brotherly solidarity, he doesn’t engage Zykun in friendly conversation or anything like that.

“Ah, yeah, no problem,” Zykun says, attempting to make conversation. “I figured you’d like something other than the gruel for dinner.” He frowns slightly as the twins don’t acknowledge him further. After a few more failed attempts at conversation, he acknowledges that he’s not going to get a response out of the twins and falls back to talk to some other prisoners.

“Hey, you!” a female guard calls to Kano. “Come here!”

“What? Why? Am I in trouble?” Kano glares at the guard. 

“No questions. Just walk.” The guard motions to the rows of small huts that the guards live in on the other side of the complex. Kano glances back at Awatok and rolls his eyes as he breaks away from the group, wondering what this could be about. He follows the guard over to the huts. No one’s over there right now; they’re all at dinner or on duty. He glances up at the full moon rising over the horizon, once again disappointed that he can’t use the power it gives him. But he can still feel it, the surge that comes and goes as the moon waxes and wanes. Not that he’ll ever get to explore what he can truly do. The guards don’t let them bend outside the allotted bending time and all bending is strictly supervised, _especially_ during a full moon. There are always more guards on duty in the nights before and after a full moon. They know waterbenders get stronger around that time and so take precautions to prevent an uprising.

“Stop.” The guard’s voice pulls Kano out of his thoughts. He looks around as she walks over to a small hut and unlocks the door. “Get inside.”

“Why?”

“Don’t ask questions.” She grabs his arm and roughly pushes him into the dwelling. Kano hisses at the contact and wrenches his arm away from the guard.

“Don’t _touch_ me,” he spits.

“I’ll touch you all I want,” she replies icily. “Now take off your pants.”

“ _Excuse_ me?!” he exclaims.

“You heard me. Take off your pants and get on the bed.”

“ _No!_ ”

The guard advances on him, backing him up against a wall. “You are in no position to refuse me, _slave_ ,” she growls, “I could have you punished for insubordination if you don’t comply with my orders.”

“Lady, what the _fuck_ do you think you’re- hey!” He’s interrupted by the guard grabbing his crotch. “Wha- stop it!”

“What the-” The guard frowns and catches Kano’s hand as he moves to hit her. Her other hand yanks his pants down to reveal-

“You’re a _girl??_ ”

“Get OFF me!” Kano exclaims, shoving the guard back and hurriedly pulling up her pants. The guard shoots a fireball at Kano, who falls to the floor. It barely misses her. She whips her feet around and knocks down the guard before scrambling upright. Kano lunges at the door, only to discover that it’s locked. She ducks as another fireball hurdles towards her and whips around, pulling water from the sink to deflect yet another attack. She kicks the guard’s chest, causing her to stumble back, and freezes her against the wall. Pulling more water from the sink, Kano slices the door down. She races out of the house towards the mess hall, searching desperately for her brother. They need to flee. _Now._ She’s going to be hunted down and killed once that guard gets free!

“AWATOK!” she screams, racing toward the mess hall, praying that he’s there. She runs in, frantically looking around, and spots the back of his head among the crowd. He turns as his twin calls his name, feeling her panic. “Awatok!!” Kano can feel dozens of eyes on her as she sprints over to him, but she couldn’t care less. Awatok’s already standing when she reaches him. “We have to go. Now. We’re running.” There are shouts as the guards realize she’s bending water. She’s definitely drawn their attention now.


	4. The Chase

“Let’s go.” Awatok doesn’t try to ask for an explanation as he steadies himself, trusting for the moment that she has a very good reason to be bending and making a break for it. He can feel her panic. He takes her hand and runs as fast as he can, out of the mess hall and toward the perimeter of the prison farm.

It doesn’t take long for the guards to catch up to them. Horns and sirens blare as the twins streak across the dirt. Kano looks back and deflects a fireball as guards lend pursuit, determined not to let them get away. 

“Kano, do something!” Awatok cries, unable to come up with a more specific suggestion. His mind is occupied by trying to find some water to bend without stealing his sister’s. Awatok barely manages to dodge a fireball flung their way as Kano handles another. The bright light flashes off of a metal object strapped to a guard’s waist, drawing Awatok’s attention. Canteens! Of course! All the guards wear them to prevent dehydration. He immediately pulls water from the canteens and uses it to block another jet of fire. It’s not much, but it’s better than none. 

Kano whips her own water around, attempting to defend and attack at the same time, but her skills are rusty. She hasn’t fought like this in four years. Nevertheless, she manages to fend the guards off as they run. Other benders are joining the fray now, distracting and fighting against the reinforcements. Earth is upheaved, fires are started, and what little water they could find is thrown about in deadly shards. Kano’s thankful that the other prisoners decided to revolt, or else they wouldn’t have stood any chance of escaping. Acrid smoke lingers in the air, stinging lungs and eyes as fire flies everywhere, lighting up the twilight sky. The guards’ attacks crash against the twins’ shield, evaporating it from the heat. Over the din, Kano screams at Awatok to defend them as she starts to cut through the bars. She hears her brother yell a response as he forms the water into a thin barrier, but can’t make it out. The firebenders are closing in, threatening to overwhelm them, and just as they break through Awatok’s shield a jet of fire envelops a guard. Some cry out in surprise as more fireballs fly their way, but others retaliate and send streams of fire at the new defendant, who steps between the line of guards and the twins. Awatok gasps as he recognizes Zykun, the owner’s son. What the hell is he doing??

“Cut through the bars!” Zykun yells, limbs a blur of motion as he defends the twins. He can hear his father yelling over the noise and smirks. He’s finally getting out of this hellhole. _Good riddance old man,_ he thinks as he turns the guards’ own fireballs against them.

With a loud _clang,_ the bars finally break loose. Kano leaps through. “Awatok, come on!” she exclaims, waiting for her brother to jump through before taking off, dodging the fireballs that come from the lookout towers. Zykun leaps through after them, but then gets an idea. He can do it. He knows he can. He stops and turns back to the fence.

“You want lightning, father? I’ll show you LIGHTNING!” He plants his feet, takes a deep breath, and thrusts his hand out towards the fence. A massive lightning bolt shoots from his fingers and surges through the metal, killing anyone unfortunate enough to be touching it. He turns and runs after the twins, knowing that once the electricity subsides, which will be any moment now, the guards will be out and after them.

Awatok glances at Zykun as he catches up with them, a perplexed frown momentarily replacing the frenzied expression on his face. Then he looks forward, at the vast and flat expanse of burned tree trunks ahead of them. He squints, trying to make out some shelter ahead, but can’t see anything yet. Any moment now, the guards will be after them, if they aren’t already giving chase. And for some inexplicable reason, their companion in crime was the owner’s own son.

“Kano!” he shouts breathlessly, “We need to find somewhere to hide!”

“No, we need to get to the river!!” she exclaims, pointing off into the distance. She can hear the pounding of footsteps behind her. The guards are coming. “Come on!” There’s a waterfall not far from them and if they can get to it, they can jump and the firebenders won’t be able to follow them. Lungs burn and muscles ache, but none of them stop. Kano can hear the waterfall now, the welcoming rushing of water. Fire explodes around them, a constant reminder of the threat behind them. After what seems like miles of running they reach the river and turn, making the final sprint to the falls. The guards, realizing the group’s intention to jump and escape pursuit, increase their efforts and send hordes of fireballs at them. The twins don’t hesitate even a moment at the edge of the waterfall; they jump off, narrowly missing being hit by another fireball. Kano grabs her brother and pulls him close, bending a plume of water to catch them. Kano takes a deep breath as they plunge into it and swept into the rapids at the bottom of the falls. Zykun isn’t lucky enough to be able to bend water and so has to hope for the best as he leaps after the twins, knowing very well that this could be his end. The three of them are tossed about like rag dolls, crashing against rocks and struggling to breathe in the merciless river. Kano has no idea which way is up and she’s too focused on clinging to Awatok to bend. She just has to hope the worst of it will pass before they die.

Eventually the river calms down and the twins surface, both breathing heavily. Air has never tasted so sweet. Kano swims to shore and takes a moment to cough up water and catch her breath before speaking. “Let’s go. They’re probably not far behind.” She glances back and sees Zykun floating face-up in the water. What the fuck? Why did he jump after them?? “...is he dead?”

“I’m not sure...” Awatok responds, pausing as he swims to follow his sister. He turns and swims toward Zykun, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to the river bank. It’s quite the effort, since Zykun isn’t exactly a feather, but he manages and drags the foolish firebender onto the shore with him.

“He doesn’t look dead,” he says, experimentally poking Zykun’s face.

“Great.” Kano rolls her eyes. She doesn’t want to drag the firebender along with them, but he _did_ save their lives... she supposes she can return the favor. She crouches down next to him and draws the water out of his lungs, causing him to cough and gasp for air. Wheezing, he cracks open his eyes to see the waterbending twins looking down at him.

“Mm. He’s not dead after all,” Kano says impassively before standing up and surveying their surroundings.

“Hello,” Awatok says to Zykun, “wait here a second.”

He stands and sidles up to Kano, saying quietly so Zykun won’t hear, “Are we bringing him along? It might come in handy having a firebender around, if we get caught by a patrol...” He is expecting, of course, that Kano will refuse and require lots of convincing, so he’s starting with the best evidence for why keeping him around might be useful.

“...” Kano stares at Zykun, who sits up and coughs, still heaving for air. She knows that her brother will eventually convince her to allow him to come, but she’s not going to be happy about it. “Fine. We both know he’d wind up coming along anyways. But I don’t like him and I don’t trust him.”

“I know,” Awatok responds calmly, pleasantly surprised by her answer, “I don’t trust him either, yet. But he’s the only firebender who’s ever helped us, so I think he’s worth getting to know better.”

He pats her shoulder gently, knowing that she still isn’t pleased with the idea. He shares her hatred of the Fire Nation, and if it weren’t for the glimmer of decency he’s witnessed in Zykun, he’d be all for ditching him too. So before moving away, he whispers to Kano, “Thank you. Really. I’ll keep an eye on him,” then walks to Zykun and offers him a hand. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

Zykun looks up at him. “Thank you,” he says, taking Awatok’s hand and struggling to his feet. Kano crosses her arms and glares at Zykun.

“...hey,” Zykun says hesitantly. “Thanks for, um, saving me.”

“Mm.”

“Well, um-” He starts to say something else, but Kano suddenly explodes.

"What the _FUCK_ was _THAT?!_ ” she exclaims, gesturing wildly upstream.

“What? What do you mean?” he asks, taking a step back.

“Why are you _here_? Why did you help us escape?!”

“They were going to kill you! I defended you! I was only trying to help!”

“Oh yeah? Well help _this!_ ” She roughly punches him in the face, years of repression and frustration unleashed in her outburst. Zykun crashes to the ground and Awatok winces, more out of embarrassment than empathy. Kano is always so rash. “We don’t need your help, fire _scum!_ ” she hisses, carefully observing his reaction. He didn't retaliate against her, which she supposes speaks to his nature. Hopefully he won't attempt anything later.

“Kano, please calm down,” Awatok says, carefully stepping between his sister and her fallen ‘adversary,’ “This isn’t any time for starting fights, anyway. We should be putting more distance between us and the farm.”

“They won’t stop,” Zykun says, hand on his jaw where she struck him. “My father won’t stop looking for you- for us.”

“I know that,” Kano hisses, “they’ll be looking along the river most likely since we’re waterbenders, but I still want to travel along it.” She looks at Awatok and in a gentler tone, continues. “What do you think?”

“It will make us easier to find,” Awatok agrees, thinking aloud, “But it will also give us plenty of water to bend if we get attacked. And to drink, because I doubt there’s much else around...” He surveys the desolate landscape of burned tree trunks with a sad look, wondering not for the first time why firebenders always had to destroy things. “And, it at least gives us a set path,” he finally added, “I think you’re right. We should travel along the river, at least for now.”

“I think anyone else who would be out here would be on the river, be it friend or foe,” Zykun agrees. Kano glances at him, distaste in her eyes.

“Awatok, can you come here for a moment?” she asks, motioning to the forest, and then to Zykun: “You, stay here.” She pulls some water from the river before walking away. Awatok follows Kano with a glance back at Zykun to make sure he’s staying put. Once they’re safely out of earshot, he decides to ask what’s up with the secret forest meeting.  
“What’s wrong?” he asks her, “If you’re changing your mind about him coming along...”

“No, I was hit and need you to heal me.” She’s visibly shaking now that she’s out of sight of the firebender. “I think the rocks in the river got me too.” She takes a deep breath and double checks that Zykun can’t see them before stripping off her shirt. Her back is a mess. There’s a moderate burn on her side where she was hit and numerous scrapes from the rocks in the river, though luckily none very deep. The cloth she wraps around her chest helped protect her, but still not very well. She passes the water over to Awatok and kneels down on the ground, fighting back tears of pain. Now that everything’s calmed down, the agony is really starting to hit her.

Awatok wastes no time in kneeling behind her, bending the water over her wounds and slowly, gently healing them. Kano sighs in relief as the pain fades. "You should have told me sooner," he scolds, out of worry, then asks, "so... what happened, that made us have to escape?"

“I was found out. A guard took me to her hut and ordered me to remove my pants... I think she wanted sex. I refused, but she pulled my pants down... and... yeah.” She sighs. “I’m sorry, I should have been more careful... now the Fire Nation knows I’m a female waterbender and they’re going to hunt me down and kill me. This- this is so stupid! There’s no more Avatar, so why even bother?! The cycle’s broken! Even if, by some miracle it isn’t, I’m not the Avatar! I can’t bend anything but water! They’re just paranoid and- and I don’t want to die!” Even though her voice is raised, it’s not loud enough for Zykun to hear. He’s sitting by the riverbed, keeping watch, oblivious to what’s going on in the forest. Awatok listens carefully to Kano’s worries while he continues to heal her back. When he’s healed it enough that he can touch her back without hurting her, he gently pulls her into a hug.

“I won’t let them kill you, Kano,” he assures her, his voice quiet and soothing, “No matter what. You remember we promised to always look out for each other? So you’ll be safe, I’ll make sure.” After a moment, he adds calmly, “and, you know, it’s not your fault they found out. So don’t go feeling guilty.”

She nods. “Alright,” she whispers, hugging him tightly. “I promise to protect you, too. I won’t let you get hurt. You weren’t injured in our escape, were you?” She holds him at shoulder length and looks him up and down.

“No, nothing serious,” Awatok assures, showing her the only wounds he’d gotten: some shallow but long cuts on his arms from the rocks, “I didn’t realize at the time, but it seems like you shielded me from most of the rocks...” He gives her a guilty, apologetic smile.

She smiles back. “I was trying to. Gotta protect my baby brother from all those nasties in the world, right?” She’s older than him by about five minutes, so she calls him her baby brother to annoy him. Awatok hugs back, rolling his eyes even as he smiles and replies, “I’m not a baby anymore, silly. You shouldn’t get all beaten up for my sake.” But he can’t hide the affection and gratefulness in his voice, even though he’d like to at least pretend he’s standing up for his pride as an adult. Even now, it’s nice to have someone looking out for him.

“Yeah, well, I promised mom I’d protect you, and you promised to protect me. We’ll always stay together, even if we get a little beaten up along the way.” Kano gives him a warm smile.

Awatok returns her smile, gives her one last squeeze, and then says, “We should get going. I don’t like being so close to that place still.”

He turns and heads back toward Zykun, asking matter-of-factly, “are you injured?”

Zykun stands up as they approach him. “I was burned a little, but it’s nothing. I’m fine,” he says, looking away. He doesn’t want to put them off by seeming too needy or demanding healing or favors. He knows Kano hates him and he doesn’t want to test the waterbender’s patience.

“Well, if you don’t think you need healing, that’s fine,” Awatok said with a shrug. He put the water he’d used to heal Kano back into the river. They start to walk down the river and he takes out the bread Zykun had given them early, which has regrettably been soaked by their fall in the water. He considers it with a skeptical look and a frown.

“I’ll let you two decide. Do we eat the water-bread, or go without dinner?”

“Bro, we’re waterbenders,” Kano reminds him. She pulls the water from the loaves of bread. They’re not perfect, but at least they’re not waterlogged now. She grins at him and swirls the water around.

“Wow, I must really be out of practice,” Awatok laughs at his own expense, smiling, “I’m not even thinking like a waterbender. Thanks, Kano.” With that, he hands her some bread, then hands some to Zykun, and keeps some for himself. Zykun stands up and takes a bite out of his roll after thanking Awatok.

“You’ll relearn in no time,” Kano reassures him, patting him on the shoulder before biting into the bread. It’s not very much, but at least it’s something. And it’s a hell of a lot better than the stuff they were given at the farm. Awatok smiles at Kano before tucking into his own roll. Once he’s chewed, he turns his smile to Zykun and, in the spirit of getting to know him better, asks, “so, why did you come after us? You could have just helped us escape and stayed, I’m guessing.”

Zykun shakes his head. “Once my father saw what I was doing, he probably made up his mind to kill me at any cost. I’m sure he wants me dead now and if I had stayed, I would already be dead. He... he’s a monster.”

“And now the rest of the prisoners have to face him,” Kano points out, smile vanishing as she glares at Zykun.

“...yeah.” He looks away.

“What do you think he’s going to do to them now that you _electrocuted dozens of his guards and ran away??_ He’s going to be furious and he’s going to take it out on them.”

“I... I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that.”

“Damn right you’re sorry.”

“I just wanted to help you escape.”

"Yeah, and now they’re going to suffer for it.”

“I’m sorry Kano. I didn’t think and I just wanted to make sure you two weren’t killed. How can I make it up to you? I just want you to not hate me.”

She crosses her arms and stops walking.

“Kano...” Awatok starts. 

“Cut off your top knot.”

“What?”

"Cut it off.” It’s a symbol of his status and she hates it. Zykun stares at her for a moment, then draws his knife and swiftly slices through the hair without hesitation.

“There,” he says, holding it up for her to see before tossing it into the river. “Now do you forgive me?”

"We’ll see,” she says, turning away and walking downriver. “Come on.” Zykun sighs and runs a hand through his now short hair, ruffling it so it falls flat. He looks over at Awatok.

“I wasn’t expecting you to do it,” Awatok says contemplatively, “You can really never go back, can you?” 

“No. And I don’t want to.”

After a long moment considering Zykun, Awatok settles on a friendly smile of approval. Zykun nervously smiles back before they set off at a brisk pace after Kano. While he walks, keeping an eye on Kano to make sure she’s not over-brooding, Awatok decides to collect more information on Zykun.

“So, where did you learn to make lightning? I’ve never seen a firebender do that before. And also, why do you care so much about us escaping?”

“My father hired a private tutor for me,” Zykun replies. “They don’t teach the really advanced stuff like lightning in school, but Azon wanted me to become a master firebender, so... yeah. I’ve never actually been able to bend lightning until just then. It was... exhilarating, to say the least.”

“Good for you,” Kano says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Not that they can see her eyes. She hates hearing him talk about his well-off life. It feels like he’s lording it over them.

“I don’t like it, though. I hate firebending. It’s... it’s so destructive and unwieldy... one false move and you’re literally up in smoke. I would rather be a waterbender. You can heal and just do so many amazing things with water. I really admire you guys. I just see something in you two that’s really special. I wanted to make sure that you lived because I want to see what that really special thing is. I think you two have a lot of potential and could easily become master waterbenders.”

Awatok listens patiently to Zykun’s story, storing it all away for later analysis. He can tell it’s going to take some time to make a final determination about Zykun’s trustworthiness, since there’s so many contradicting facts: firebender, rich elite, compassionate, actually likes waterbenders, seems a little selfish though... setting aside his swirling thoughts for a moment, he turns to Zykun.

“We can’t become master waterbenders without a teacher, and I doubt the Fire Nation left any masters alive. So I don’t think it would be as easy as you think... but I appreciate the thought. I don’t know about Kano. He’s more stubborn. But we’re giving you a chance, okay, by taking you with us. Try not to mess up and kill us in our sleep or something. That would be rude.” This last part he says totally deadpan, knowing it will sound ridiculous, just to see how Zykun will react. The firebender frowns a little, not sure if Awatok thinks he’d actually try to do that or not. Zykun thinks it’s a joke, so he smiles a little and tries to play along.

“I’ll try not to slip up and kill you,” he says with a light tone and small smile. “I promise.”

“You think this is a joke?” Kano growls. She rounds on Zykun, grabbing his shirt and lifting him so her face is inches from his.

“What? No! Of course not!” Zykun protests. Oh shit, he’s in trouble now.

“I have a bounty on my head now,” she hisses in his face. “ _Awatok_ has a bounty on his head. We’re both rogue waterbenders. You’re just some prissy-ass firebender who, if he turned us in, would maybe be excused. This isn’t. A joke. Because if you give me one reason for me to doubt you, _one reason_ to think you might turn on us and hurt my brother or me, I won’t hesitate to put an icicle through your _heart._ Do you understand me?” Zykun pales. She’s pissed, and rightly so. He shouldn’t have joked about killing them. He’s already treading on thin ice, there’s no reason to throw stones into the proverbial lake too.

“Yes. Perfectly.”

“Good.” She dumps him on the ground and walks away. Awatok sighs, his effort at building camaraderie undermined now by all the threatening going on. But he can’t blame Kano. After all, she’s right, they are rogues and Zykun has every reason to turn them in and hope for forgiveness. But something about Zykun gives him the impression that that’s unlikely. He frowns, worried he’s being too trusting. At least Kano’s keeping a close eye out for their safety.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t trust you either,” Awatok says to Zykun after Kano walks away, figuring he shouldn’t be too friendly just in case Zykun is trying to fool him. 

Zykun sighs as he picks himself up, wincing, wondering if he’s made the wrong decision by coming with these two. Well, he can’t turn back now, and he’s sure as hell not going to turn them in. He will protect them with every ounce of strength he has.

“You know... there are rumors about an Earth Kingdom resistance group based in or around Ba Sing Se,” he says after jogging slightly to catch up to the twins. “There could be survivors, or even waterbending masters, there.”

Kano glances at him. “Where did you hear these rumors?”

“At... at school.” He looks away. “You know, something like ‘my dad’s friend said this or that...’ just teenage gossip. I’m not sure how much of it is true or not, but it merits checking out at least, right? I mean, we were told about how the Earth Kingdom citizens were a proud and stubborn lot that would never give up, even if things were completely hopeless. I’m sure there’s a resistance _somewhere_.”

“I thought the Fire Nation was too strong for any resistance to form,” Awatok replies, frowning thoughtfully, “Or that’s what they tell us... you’re saying you think there’s really a resistance? Someone who can fight the Fire Nation and get away with it?” The idea seems almost unbelievable, and yet if it were true... he turns to Kano, his thoughtful frown turning to a look of hopeful excitement. “What do you think? Should we try for Ba Sing Se? Just think, if something really is there...”

“Well, we don’t have anywhere else to go. I think we should go to Ba Sing Se,” Kano says. She can’t help but feel a small spark of hope too. “It’s better than wandering aimlessly.”

“I do think there are free people there. My father was a general in the war and used to have me sit in on meetings and the like, to... train me, I guess. From what I’ve learned, the Fire Nation is nervous that there’s a resistance near Ba Sing Se. They have a bunch of troops there patrolling the area constantly... but earthbenders can hide underground, so they rarely find anyone. At least, I think,” Zykun informs them.

Awatok smiles, feeling optimistic for the first time in years. “Ba Sing Se it is then,” he says, “If we can hide underground with them, we won’t even have to worry about being caught.” He starts walking faster without realizing it, his excitement carrying him along. While he walks, he notices a small forest up ahead that apparently wasn’t burned down. “When we get there, why don’t we camp for the night?” he suggests.

“There might be a Fire Nation village nearby,” Zykun warns.

“How do you know?” Kano asks.

“Everyone tells you that the Fire Nation burned down the entire continent, but that’s not really true. They spared most of the Fire Nation colonies that were in the Earth Kingdom. Exclusive Fire Nation colonies, I mean. Not just Earth Kingdom villages that were occupied. I guess Phoenix King Ozai didn’t want to rule over a continent of blackened char. So unburned forest probably means that there’s a Fire Nation village nearby.”

Awatok squints. “I don’t see a village, at least from here...maybe it’s on the other side.” He sighed, trying to think of a way to get past the village without making a huge circle. “If we go around to avoid sentries, we might lose track of the river,” he says, glancing at Zykun, “....you’re Fire Nation. I bet no one knows yet about you betraying your father, so they would let you through, right?”

“I don’t think we have to totally avoid the villages. From what I’ve heard, there isn’t a big military presence in them. They’re just normal villages. I think blending in is the best option, then we can pass right through them without drawing attention to ourselves. But we’ll need new clothes.”

Awatok raises an eyebrow. “Where are we going to get new clothes out here?” he asks doubtfully, “If we sneak into the village and steal them, wouldn’t they just be suspicious?” He glanced at Kano, seeing if she had any brilliant ideas. She does not.

“A lot of people hang their clothes on lines in their backyard. There are bound to be houses near the edge of town. Their clothes lines probably won’t be watched,” Zykun suggests.

“Well, all right...” Awatok agrees, though it still seems risky to him. So many variables unaccounted for. But, since he doesn’t have a better idea, he’s just got to give it a try, he supposes.

“This better not be a trap,” Kano says, looking coldly at Zykun.

“Why on earth would it be a trap? We’re just getting clothes! You two stand out like, I dunno, a red flower in a field of yellow with those rags on. If we’re going to make it to Ba Sing Se, we all need new attire. Hell, my clothes are even too pretentious to blend into small town villages. I hate my clothes.”

“Fine,” Kano relents after some hesitation. “You’re going to stay back while we look around. I don’t want you alerting any authorities about us.”

“Fair enough. Though I’m not going to do that. Ever. I swear on my mother’s pyre that I will never, ever turn you two in.”

“We’re gonna hold you to that,” Awatok says as soon as Zykun has made his oath, his expression serious, but then he adds in a more friendly tone, “when we get the clothes, you can have the rattiest ones. Maybe then you’ll feel better.”

A smile tugs on the corners of Zykun’s mouth. “That is totally fine with me.”

"Good,” Kano says flatly.

The forest is quickly approaching on the horizon as they walk, now only a hundred yards or so away. A cool breeze wafts from it, carrying the scent of pine and flowers, a scent the twins haven’t smelled in years. They enter the unburned forest and they enter a completely different world. Birds chirp in the trees and the smell of damp earth fills the air, replacing that of charcoal. Kano inhales deeply, feeling relaxed for the first time in years. Well, as relaxed as she can with a firebender around. The trees block out the moon’s glow, casting shadows everywhere, and the ground is soft with moss and fallen leaves beneath their feet. There’s life here. After walking through burned desert all day, it’s a sweet relief.

“It’s been too long since I got to smell real nature like this... the farm wasn’t the same at all. It always smelled like smoke and metal and sweat.”

“And shit. Don’t forget the ‘fertilizer’ we were forced to use. Ugh.” Kano doesn’t even want to think about it.

“I try not to think about it, but thanks for the reminder,” Awatok sighs at Kano with a brief frown. “In any case, I’m just glad we’re out of that place. It’s good to be free.”

“It so is.”

As they walk, the borders of a village become visible through the trees. Kano can make out houses in the distance and see lights glimmering. Awatok slows, whispering, “Okay. Zykun, stay here. Kano and I will go look.”

Zykun nods and sits on the ground at the base of a tree. “I’ll wait here.”

The twins head off closer to the silent town. Everyone’s asleep by now so they don’t encounter anyone as they scout the houses closest to them. There’s a fair selection of clothes hanging on various lines to choose from.

“Perfect,” Kano says, looking at the lines of hanging garments.

“This went much better than I expected,” Awatok quietly admits, looking over the clothes nearest to them. He spots a shirt and pants that might fit Kano and takes them down, tossing them to her. “What do you think? There’s another set here that’s almost the same...we could match,” he teases with a smile.

She chuckles. “I like the idea.” She looks around and makes sure that they’re out of Zykun’s, and anyone else’s, sight before stripping her old clothes off and quickly donning the new ones. 

“Very handsome,” Awatok smiles, half-teasing and half-serious. The new outfit does suit her well, even if it is Fire Nation clothes. He takes down the matching outfit and quickly changes clothes, then grabs something for Zykun without much thought. It turns out to be a mismatched shirt and shorts, which he doesn’t notice until they’re on their way back into the forest.

Zykun looks up as he hears the twins approach. He puts out the flame in his hand he was using to keep warm in the chilly night and stands up. 

“How’d it go?” he asks them as they come into view. 

Awatok pauses at a farther than friendly distance for a moment, uneasy because of the fire. He still doesn’t like seeing it in a firebender’s hands, after everything, but it only takes a few moments for him to reason out of his unease. It’s cold, and obviously Zykun only meant to keep warm... nothing to worry about. He steps forward and holds out the clothes he brought.

“You were right, there were plenty of clothes. And no one saw us,” he reports, “These are for you.”

“Thanks,” he says, taking them. He hesitates a moment, wondering if they’re going to give him a little privacy. “Are you, um, going to turn around?”

Kano crosses her arms. “No.”

“Alright...” He turns his back to them and changes clothes. Awatok notices a water-soaked bandage on his upper left arm and an assortment of scars on his body. “Are we going to camp or look for an inn in the village?”

“I’d like an inn, if you two are up for it,” Awatok says. “What's that bandage? Are you hurt? You’re sure you don’t need healing?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I... don’t want to impose on you. It’s not the worst I’ve had; I can handle it,” Zykun says with a dismissing wave of his hand. “Let’s go find an inn.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Awatok says calmly, referring to the scars he’d seen earlier, “Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Let’s go,” Kano says, thrilled at the thought of sleeping in an actual bed again. Awatok turns and heads back toward the village, trying hard not to feel bad for Zykun. After all, he could still be a traitorous spy... maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lava's notes: Well this scene over doubled the word count of this fic so far. Previous word count: ~4,500. Current: ~10,000. Hot damn. I didn't know where to end it, since it's all pretty much one long scene. It was sooo much fun to write and edit. I love writing action scenes. I hope you guys liked it, I worked really hard to get it to "flow" properly. If anyone has any suggestions/comments on how to improve my writing, feel free to comment or message me. I'm very open to constructive criticism.


	5. The Inn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus ends the chain of ATLA/LoK episode titles since there wasn't a good one for this chapter. I'll still pepper them in when applicable since I like the idea of the connectivity.

They find an inn and establish that Zykun is paying, which Kano holds zero qualms about. Let the rich bastard pay. Awatok is a little more reserved, but Zykun did offer, so he supposes he’s fine with it. It’s not like he has any money, anyway. When they walk into the warm building the trio sees an old lady knitting at a table. She greets them with a smile and stands up.

“Hello dearies,” she says, bustling over to them. “Welcome, welcome! Do you need a place to stay?”

“Yeah,” Awatok replies, “and some dinner.”

“Of course! How many rooms?”

“Just one is fine.” Even though Zykun is paying, they probably shouldn’t use up all his funds right away. The twins sit at the table as Zykun follows her to pay. He joins them at the table shortly after and the innkeeper informs them that since it’s late, she only has soup prepared with some rice on the side. 

“That sounds lovely.” Awatok suppresses an urge to hug the old woman, but isn’t able to keep from grinning. Kano can’t wait to eat actual real food for the first time in four years. The lady smiles at them and goes to fetch their dinner. 

“I like her,” Awatok announces once she’s disappeared into the kitchen, then lowers his voice and adds, “Zykun, why can’t all of you be like her? She seems so nice.”

“I don’t think she’s a firebender. She’s just a sweet old lady,” Zykun says. “I think the ability to bend this raw energy, to bend fire, is what corrupts so many of us. It’s a fine line to walk between sanity and insanity when you have so much power like this.” He looks down at his own hands and clenches them. “I don’t like it.”

“You mentioned that,” Awatok nods, watching Zykun closely, “If the power corrupts firebenders, what makes you different?” He knows it’s a difficult question, and probably too personal. But it’s really the most crucial thing to know, to find out if he and Kano can trust this guy, so he might as well ask. If Zykun doesn’t answer, he can try again later.

“I don’t know,” Zykun admits after some hesitation. “From a young age, I saw my father use fire to frighten and intimidate and hurt people. I hated that. I don’t like hurting people and I didn’t ever want to become like him. I taught myself restraint and I never tried to intimidate anyone ever. I don’t want people to fear me like they do my father.”

Awatok nods, listening closely. “That makes sense,” he says, “I don’t like fire much, either. Or really at all...” He trails off, his eyes distant and sad for a long moment, remembering everything that fire has taken away from him and his sister, then shakes his head. It’s silly to dwell on things, he reminds himself. Focus on the moment. “But anyway, if you really don’t like hurting people, you’ll fit in pretty well with us.”

Zykun nods a bit. “I hope so.”

Kano’s checked out of the conversation by now. She doesn’t want to talk about fire or firebenders or anything to do with them. The dreams are bad enough; she doesn’t need flashbacks too. Instead, she looks around the room, admiring the sparse, but nice, decorations. A tapestry here, a vase there, just little accents that make the room seem that much prettier. A fire merrily crackles along in the corner fireplace. The room is dim and vacant, save for the runaways, and each sound they make seems to echo across the space. 

When the innkeeper returns with their dinner, Awatok thanks her with a big smile, then sets in hungrily. Though simple, the meal is delicious: a thin meat and vegetable soup with hot, fresh rice on the side.

“Mm, man, this is delicious,” Kano says. It’s been far too long since she’s had an actual meal. Her tongue explodes with joy from the amazing flavors. Awatok chuckles, smiling at Kano and her obvious enjoyment. 

“It’s wonderful,” he agrees, “it’s like my tongue is remembering how to taste.” He chuckles again as he takes a big bite of rice and a spoonful of soup.

"Pretty much," Kano says with a small smile, glancing at her brother.

Zykun smiles slightly, glad they like it. He doesn’t want to ruin their enjoyment, so he says nothing. He’ll only speak up if one of them says something to him; he knows he’s still on thin ice and doesn’t want to do something to make them hate him even more.

Once he’s finished, Awatok sits back with a contented sigh and a smile. “Mm...that was nice.” He is quiet for a moment, just savoring the experience, and then he asks, “We have just one room, right? I think probably Kano and I should share the bed, and I bet the old lady will bring an extra blanket and pillow for you, Zykun, so you can take the floor. Sound good?”

Zykun looks up at Awatok and nods. “I was thinking the same thing,” he says. “You two deserve the bed more than I do.”

“That’s for sure,” Kano snorts.

“You hate me, I get it,” Zykun sighs, rubbing his forehead. “We’ve established that, so can you please stop insulting me every time I open my mouth?” Kano stares at him, fury sparking behind her eyes.

“Kano,” Awatok says, his tone gentle but admonishing, “try to stay calm. I know that look, and this is not the time for a fistfight.” He tries to restrain her fury by putting his hand on her arm, though obviously it’s no real restraint if she decides to lash out and punch Zykun.

Kano glances at Awatok, then shifts her gaze away to stare at a vase across the room, focusing on it to take her mind off Zykun. Pretentious bastard trying to tell her when and when not to be mad. She can’t stand him, but her brother’s right. Now’s not the time to start fighting. Satisfied that Kano isn’t about to throw punches and get them kicked out of the inn, Awatok turns to Zykun.

“Don’t tell him what to do,” he says sternly, but quietly. “For one thing, he’ll probably dismember you if you do it too much. For another thing, it’s not your place. We’re not friends yet, Zykun, and you’re still a firebender whether you want to be or not. Go work for four years as a slave after losing your village to those _monsters,_ and _then_ come tell me whether being snapped at is all that exhausting.”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Zykun says. “I just think insulting me every time I speak is a little.. excessive.”

“Try being insulted every time a guard passes you without even looking at them,” Kano says bitterly, “for _four years._ I’ll insult you if I damn well please, _fire rat._ ” 

Zykun sighs. “Fine. I guess you’re right, but I _do_ know what it’s like to be insulted constantly. My father berated me if I so much as made the slightest mistake on anything.”

“Boo hoo. At least you _have_ a father.”

“I don’t think it counts if he shows you nothing but hatred and disappointment. I was never good enough for him.”

“Too fucking bad.”

Zykun glances between the twins, then stands up. “You can have the rest of my dinner. I’m going upstairs.” He walks out of the dining room to find the owner and get another blanket and pillow before heading upstairs. He doesn’t want to stay around them if all they’re going to do is hurl insults at him. He’s not going to leave them, but if this keeps up, he just might.

Awatok pulls what’s left of Zykun’s meal towards him and grabs Kano’s bowl. While he distributes the leftovers between the two of them, he comments to her, “He really does seem sensitive about his father. Maybe it was worse for him than it seems.” He glances at her, unsure how she’ll respond. She’s never been the sort to sit and consider both sides of a situation, much to his chagrin, but he can’t help sharing his thoughts with her.

“I don’t care about him, Awatok. Sure he helped us escape, but after that he’s just another firebender. They’re unstable and unpredictable. He could turn on us at any moment, so I wouldn’t get too attached.” She lifts her bowl and takes a big gulp. However much she hates him, she’s not going to say no to more of this amazing soup.

“I’m not getting attached,” Awatok says, a little defensive, “I’m only trying to figure out what’s up with him. I can’t wrap my head around why a firebender would care about helping us.” He sighs, taking a long sip of soup. Maybe its delicious warmth will bring sense and logic back to the world, but when he sets the bowl down he’s still in the same inn with the same crazy firebender upstairs in his room. He sighs again.

“He’s probably a sociopath or something,” Kano says, “pretending to care about us, then he’ll turn on us or turn us in or kill us or something.” She finishes her soup and starts in on the rest of her rice.

Awatok frowns. “I don’t think being killed would be much fun,” he replies, then laughs at himself after a short pause. “Oh, I really just said that, didn’t I? I’ve been thinking too hard, I wore out my common sense.” He lays his head on the table tiredly, his soup unfinished.

Kano rolls her eyes. “Yes, it would suck to get killed. Though I bet he’s too much of a pansy to actually do it.” She looks at him. “Hey, you okay? You didn’t finish your soup.”

“Just tired,” Awatok assures her, sitting back up and smiling, “It’s not every day a guy escapes from prison, falls down a waterfall, and then walks for a few hours in a burned down forest.” He chuckles, adding, “I think the warm soup in my stomach made my body realize how much it wants a nap.” He nudges his bowl toward her. “You can have the rest. I’m just full.”

She nods. “Yeah, I’m exhausted too, now that you mention it. No sense in letting food go to waste, though.” She picks up his bowl and downs the rest of the soup. “What say we head up to the room? I could fall asleep standing up.”

“Well, don’t do that,” Awatok smiles, standing and yawning, “I’d rather not carry you up to the room.” He chuckles, then heads for the stairs, more than ready for some sleep. In a real bed, this time, he remembers with a grin.

“Oh, you know you could,” she says with a chuckle. “I know how strong you are.”

Meanwhile, up in the room, Zykun is crying and trying not to make too much noise in case the twins barge in. Unfortunately for him, they do shortly after he lies down. He bites his lip and curls into a tighter ball, praying that they won’t notice his tears. He’s curled up on the other side of the bed, between it and the wall, so luckily they can’t see him from the doorway. They’ll surely ridicule him if they find out he’s crying. He’s never been this alone or rejected before. The twins hate him, but he can’t leave them, and his father’s undoubtedly disowned him by now. He’s a wanted criminal and he has no allies, much less friends. The only people he can count on right now have made it very clear that they hate and distrust him, and he's guessing won't hesitate to abandon him at the first sign of peril.

“Awatok, look, we can take real showers,” he hears Kano say. “There’s a separate bathroom and everything.”

“Oh, wow!” Awatok beams, his footsteps carrying through the room as he hurries over to admire the bathroom with Kano. After a moment of quiet awe, he turns to her. “Now how do we decide who goes first?” he teases. “Water bending battle to the death?”

Kano snorts. “Nah, you can go first. I know you care more about cleanliness than I.” She motions into the room, stepping back to let him enter. “Besides, you know I’d beat you in a bending contest.”

“Oh, yeah right!” Awatok retorts as he dashes in and shuts the door before Kano can make good on her playful threat. He strips and steps into the warm shower, luxuriating in the spray for a good five minutes before even picking up the soap, just glad to have a real shower again. As he enjoys the warm water, he lets his mind wander, going over all the wild events of the day. He can hardly make sense of it, and he’s still unsure what to think of Zykun and his supposed offer of friendship, but he knows that at least he’s happy to be free of that horrible farm and to have Kano with him.

After he’s showered, he quickly dries off using his waterbending and puts his Fire Nation disguise back on. “Kano?” he calls quietly as he steps into the main room, “You still up? The shower’s ready if you want it.”

She opens her eyes from her position on the bed and looks over at him. “Yeah,” she says, sitting up. “Either you took a really short shower or I think I dozed off there for a while. How was it?”

“You must have dozed off, because I was in there a while,’’ Awatok chuckles, sitting next to her on the bed, “It was wonderful. I haven’t felt this clean in ages.” He smiled widely, content, and then flopped down across the bed with a long, tired sigh. “Now, I think I’ll sleep. Unless you want me to wait up while you shower?”

“Nah, you can sleep. I don’t want to keep you up.” She gets up and walks to the bathroom. “Goodnight dear brother.” She smiles at him before closing the door and making sure to lock it. As she strips down, nervousness sets in about someone looking in and seeing her, learning her real sex, even though she knows it’s near impossible. She’s in a locked room with one exit and no windows with her brother on the other side of the door in another room with only one exit that’s also locked. Nevertheless, she’s still alert and tense through her entire shower, even though the warm water feels heavenly.

After a while she gets out, feeling clean for the first time in ages. She has relatively clean clothes, a full stomach, and skin that’s not caked in grime for once. She feels good. After re-wrapping her chest and pulling her clothes back on, she heads back out into the main room and slips into the bed next to Awatok, wrapping her arms around him. Her twin, already asleep by the time she returns, wraps his arms around her in turn and holds her close. Even unconscious, he just wants to keep his sister safe and close.


	6. Unfortunate Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7/8/16 edit: I changed the whole first part of this chapter to better reflect the urgency of their situation and make it more realistic and a bunch of stuff in the middle.

"You need to leave. Now." Awatok wakes to the old innkeeper shaking them awake. "There are men downstairs looking for you."

"What?" Awatok blinks the grogginess away, then immediately bolts up when he realizes what she just said. Oh shit. The firebenders found them! He should have known not to stop in the nearest village. Of _course_ they would look here first! "Kano, wake up!!" he shakes her away and she's instantly up and alert.

"What? What is it??"

"You need to leave. Here." The old lady hands them a bag. "Money and food for the road. There's a back exit you can use."

"Zykun, get up." Awatok nudges the firebender, who winces and sits up. He turns to the old lady and takes the bag. "Thank you. But... why are you helping us? You're Fire Nation."

"We're not all bad. I don't like what they did to the world. We need the four nations. And you need to run. I heard your conversation last night. You're waterbenders that escaped the farm near here. I stalled the men looking for you, but they'll get impatient and come upstairs soon. No more questions. Just go."

"Thank you. We won't forget this. Wait- what's your name?"

"Zaya. Now go!"

The three run out of the inn and away into the dawn. Awatok estimates that they got about five or six hours of sleep. Still, it's enough to keep them going. And they need to go. They run until they're a good distance from the village, then stop to rest for a moment. Awatok inspects the contents of the bag while they catch their breath. A fair amount of Fire Nation money, some bread, and some dried meat. Enough to last them for a day or two, depending on their rationing. He silently thanks her generosity.

"Well, what now?" Kano asks. "We obviously need to keep moving, but we need supplies for a long journey, too. A map, bedding, stuff like that. How much did the innkeeper give us?"

"Enough for adequate supplies, I think, and some food. We should have enough, with the rest of whatever Zykun has, to equip ourselves for a long journey."

"Good. Zykun, where's the next nearest town?"

"Ah, um. I think it's a few more miles down the river." He didn't sleep well last night from a combination of uncomfortable sleeping arrangements and utter despair. He doesn't make eye contact with either twin, not wanting to inadvertently set one of them off. 

"Alright, well, we should eat while we walk. Long day ahead of us." He hands Kano a roll and offers one to Zykun, who turns it down. He's not hungry; his stomach feels like a tight knot. Awatok frowns as he bites into it instead, not liking Zykun’s despondent attitude, and ponders why he would be acting this way. It doesn’t seem very appropriate behavior for a double agent trying to lure them into a trap. Everything Zykun does, come to think of it, seems very unlike a traitor. But maybe that’s what he wants Awatok to think. Awatok sighs heavily, chewing with a grimace. He doesn’t like being unable to trust his own thoughts.

The party walks in silence for the most part, Zykun in front as he leads them back towards the river so the twins can watch his every move, and soon the next town can be seen in the distance. It's considerably lighter out and Awatok hopes the market will be open this early so they can be out of there as fast as possible. They reach the center plaza and to his delight, there's already a considerable bustle around the shops and stalls.

“Perfect. Let’s check it out,” Kano suggests, starting towards it. Awatok nods, following Kano toward the market. As they walk, he studies their surroundings, trying to pick up whatever he can about daily life in the Fire Nation. Anything to help them blend in is worth knowing, and since his only experience with these people so far has been with soldiers and prison guards, there’s obviously a lot to learn.

“There’s so much going on,” he comments to no one in particular, then focuses in on Kano, “Markets were never this big back home.”

“No, they weren’t. We didn’t have nearly this many people on the island,” Kano remarks, looking around to see if anyone reacts to them. Anyone here could turn them in. “Let’s not discuss that here, though.”

“Oh, good point,” Awatok murmurs, blushing at his own foolishness in bringing it up. He needs to be more alert! 

As they move into the busiest part of the market, someone nearby gasps and suddenly flings their arms around Zykun, who nearly jumps out of his skin.

“Oh my goodness, what a surprise seeing you here!” the person exclaims, stepping back and revealing themself to be a young woman about the same age as the group, dressed in luxurious red robes and grinning. Zykun recognizes her as old classmate of his with a fondness for getting out into the “real world” with the “common people.” She hails from a nearby imperial stronghold that keeps watch over this area of the colony. Zykun glances in fear at the twins, thinking that they might see this as a bad thing. Kano steps back and narrows her eyes.

“Um- hey Shizu!” Zykun exclaims awkwardly. “I didn’t expect to see you here either! What are you, um, doing here?”

Shizu smiles, gently hitting Zykun’s arm to chide him for not remembering her abiding passion for markets. “I’m shopping, silly. This market is the only one in the whole region with decent silks. I hate living in the middle of nowhere, don’t you?” As she says this, she finally takes in his modest clothing and the twins standing nearby. With much confusion, she also takes in Kano’s glare. “What about you, Zy-Zy...? You’re looking awfully, um...interesting, today. Are these two friends of yours?” she asks, growing suspicious.

“Yeah, um, I finally got the nerve to tell my father I was going to travel the world. I didn’t want to spend my whole life on that farm, so I left. I met Lee and, um, Zoan a couple towns back and we’ve kind of just been travelling together since.” He needs to get away from Shizu as fast as possible so she doesn’t get too nosy. She’ll only be trouble for them, and Zykun’s worried the twins will think this was planned and that he’s going to turn them in.

Shizu considers this explanation for a moment and finally decides it seems reasonable. She smiles warmly at Awatok and Kano. “Well, nice to meet you both! I hope you’ve been looking after my friend, he can get pretty mopey,” she giggles, hugging Zykun’s arm and then whispering to him, “Zy-Zy, these boys are cute! Are either of them single??”

“Um, I don’t know,” Zykun whispers back, wincing as she grabs his burned arm. “But we were just about to move on...”

Awatok replies slowly, ignoring their whispering, “He’s been getting along okay... such a coincidence running into you here, though.”

Kano narrows her eyes. “Yes... _quite_ a coincidence.”

“It really is, but we have to go, unfortunately,” Zykun says, pulling away from Shizu. “Our stuff was stolen a couple nights ago, so we stayed in an inn here tonight and we need to get new supplies before heading out. We wanted to get an early start...” He hopes she’ll let them go without too much of a hassle and that the twins won’t hate him for this. Well, no, they already hate him. He really can’t see how his situation could get any worse, but he’s sure this will somehow.

“Oh, that’s terrible!” Shizu coos, by all appearances completely missing the hint that she should leave, “You shouldn’t buy supplies here, you’ve never gone to markets, have you? The merchants will haggle you out of all your money if you’re not careful, Zy-Zy. Why don’t you and your friends come visit me, and I’ll give you plenty of supplies for your adventures. It’s only a half-day’s journey away.” She smiles warmly, hoping to convince them to come. She really wants to get closer to Zykun’s cute friends. But Awatok just frowns back at her, uncomfortable and suspicious.

“Thank you, but we’re really fine. Lee and I know how to haggle, we’ve been traveling for years. So...we’ll just be on our way.” Awatok grabs Zykun’s unburned arm, careful not to hurt him, and starts to pull the man away from Shizu.

“Yeah, sorry Shizu,” Zykun says. “I gotta go, but it was nice seeing you again.” He waves at her as they start to walk away.

“But-...wait!” Shizu says, but by then they’ve disappeared into the crowd. She stands where she is, confused by this rejection. Zykun was so tense and awkward...more than usual, which she hadn’t thought was possible. There must be something up. Who were those two men, and what are they doing with Zykun?

While Shizu contemplates, Awatok has pulled Zykun into a small alley between houses, hidden from view by a few market stalls. He releases the man’s arm only once they’re safely away from view, then asks sternly, “What was that?” Kano crosses her arms and glares at Zykun, who is currently attempting to control his hyperventilation and involuntary shaking, to no avail.

“It wa- was no one, I swear," he gasps, trying to hold back the tears he can feel threatening to fall as he panics. "It was just a- an old friend from school. I didn’t even know she would be he- ow!” Kano grabs his burned arm and roughly shoves him against the wall.

“Tell the truth,” she hisses, inches from his face.

“That is- it is-" He can't think straight, he can't form words, his whole world is being choked from him as his body refuses to draw breath. He gasps for breath, which doesn't come, and the tears spill over from panic and pain. Kano squeezes his arm, feeling no remorse for the traitor. “S- stop-” he manages to gasp. Kano scares the shit out of him... he reminds him of his father. Very aggressive, cares for no one but himself, doesn’t hesitate to cause Zykun pain if he’s displeased with him.

“Kano, stop it!” Awatok exclaims, laying his hand on her shoulder and pulls backward, not quite hard enough to yank her off of Zykun but enough to let her know she’s gone too far. Zykun's freaking out; he doesn't think a real double agent could put on a show like that. Awatok, for one, is inclined to believe him, and he can't just stand by and let Kano torture him when he's obviously so distressed. “Let him go, he already answered us.”

“He’s lying,” she hisses, but nevertheless releases him. Zykun collapses and tries to get a hold of himself.

“I- I’m not,” he gasps. He hasn't had this kind of panic attack in years; usually he can feel one coming and control it, lest his father beat him more, but the isolation and fear completely undermined his control. He finally manages to calm down enough to form reasonable sentences. “I s- swear I’m not lying. It really was just a coincidence, p- please. I promise you.”

Awatok ignores Zykun for a moment, turning away to whisper to Kano, “I don’t care if he’s lying. If he is, we’ll find a way out of his trap and we’ll be safe. If he’s not, you just tried to torture an innocent man. We don’t do that, Kano. _They_ do that.” His tone is urgent, and his eyes worried. Kano’s always been impulsive and had a short temper, but just now... that was different, and it scares him a little, and it obviously scared Zykun a lot. The man's a wreck, sobbing on the ground, and he can't help but feel sorry for him.

“He’s _Fire Nation,_ Awatok. None of them are innocent,” she hisses back, rage and pain in her eyes. “I had another nightmare last night... _he_ killed our mother this time.” She gestures to Zykun. “He can’t be trusted.”

Even though they’re whispering, Zykun can still hear them in the small alley. What’s Kano talking about? Nightmares? Murder? Then he’s being punished for something he didn’t even do. If Kano has nightmares like that... it’ll just keep fueling his hatred for the Fire Nation and for himself. He doesn’t know how much longer he can stand this. He has an out right now... he could leave them and go with Shizu, but sooner or later she or her father will find out about Zykun’s betrayal and then everything will be ruined. He really has no choice but to stick with the twins.

Awatok frowns, pausing before he responds to Kano. Finally, he whispers, “Kano, I know how you feel. But nightmares aren’t real. He hasn’t done anything so far but help us, and he didn’t try to attack you just now even though I’m sure he could have...” He sighs, unable to go on with his defense of Zykun. If it is that. This is all so ridiculous, taking a firebender’s side against his sister, and he wonders for a crazy moment if maybe Zykun has him hypnotized somehow. But that’s even more ridiculous than the rest of it... right? He glances at Zykun with suspicion, who’s sitting against the wall, eyes squeezed shut and still breathing quickly. He's really glad he didn't eat anything today or he probably would have thrown it up just now. Kano glances at him, then back at her brother.

“Fine,” she says after some hesitation. “Let’s just get the supplies and go.” She turns and walks to the end of the alley before glancing back.

“You go ahead,” Awatok says, looking between Zykun and Kano, “I’ll bring him along soon. Stay safe, okay? I won’t be long.”

“Fine.” She turns and leaves. Zykun glances up at Awatok, then away.

“What do you want?” he asks quietly, now considerably calmer that Kano's gone. He takes some deep breaths, thankful he can breathe again.

Awatok kneels down in front of Zykun, frowning and just staring at him for a long moment. Finally, he answers, “I want you to make sense. I don’t understand what you’re doing, because you should be calling us scum and trying to kill us but instead you’re paying for our lodging and acting like you want to be friends.” He watches Zykun closely, scrutinizing, and his expression moves slowly from a severe frown to a hopeless confusion. He studies the man closely, as if he could discover his true intentions through the simple act of staring. He knows it’s ridiculous, but he can’t help wanting some way to know. The uncertainty is killing him, and unlike Kano he can’t bring himself to assume the worst and completely distrust Zykun, especially not after how he reacted to Kano's confrontation. No one could fake that.

“I _do_ want to be friends, Awatok. I’m not like other firebenders, I swear! I... I’ve already explained this to you. I’m just... different. I hate myself. I hate fire. I hate everything about it. I just want to help you guys, but your brother... scares me.” He whispers the last part, burying his face in his knees. He’s terrified of Kano. He thought that if he ran away from his father he could escape the abuse. Apparently not.

Awatok sighs heavily, looking down and pinching the bridge of his nose. The world isn’t going to make sense again anytime soon, he realizes, so he’ll have to make the best of it for now.

“I believe you. I shouldn’t. Kano doesn’t, and he’s right that it’s not safe to trust you. But I do,” he says slowly, then looks up and frowns at Zykun’s fearful posture. Against his better judgment, he reaches over and lays his hand on Zykun’s shoulder. “I’m not going to let him hurt you, you know. I know Kano’s scary, but he really is a good person under all that anger.”

Zykun flinches as Awatok touches him, then relaxes and looks up when he realizes the waterbender isn’t going to hurt him. “I believe you,” he whispers. “It’s just... I can’t see that person yet.” He hopes Kano will stop hating him eventually.

“Yeah, well... he can’t see the good person in you, either,” Awatok said with a half-hearted laugh, “But I’ll keep talking to him, and maybe he’ll come around... just promise me one thing, okay?” He meets Zykun’s eyes, his hand still absentmindedly on the man’s shoulder, and pauses for a moment. Uncertainty mixes with hope in his expression. “Please don’t prove me wrong.”

Zykun stares into Awatok’s icy blue eyes just inches away from his own. Wow, he... he’s really close. He never noticed how strikingly clear his eyes were before. He stares into them, almost lost in the depths.

“I won’t,” he breathes, keeping his voice even. “I promise.”

Awatok starts to blush when he notices Zykun’s stare and he’s caught off guard. He pulls back, his hand moving from Zykun’s shoulder to his own arm, which he holds as he looks away and tries to laugh off whatever’s going on, which is nothing. Nothing’s going on.

“Thanks... we should probably go now, I guess. Do you, uh, need help getting up?”

Zykun starts to get up. “No, I’m-” he slips a little, “I’m fine.” He straightens up and looks away, wiping the remnant tears away, slightly embarrassed and a little awkward. Was Awatok blushing just there? He’s not sure and he doesn’t want to look again. His eyes are amazing, though... such a clear ice blue. He can feel his cheeks flushing as he thinks about it.

Awatok clears his throat, trying to ignore the inexplicable warm feeling in his chest. It’s surely just another symptom of the strangeness of this day. It definitely has nothing to do with Zykun’s bright golden eyes, or the messily cut yet charming hair falling in front of them as Zykun avoids looking at him... and the thought that occurs out of nowhere about how well they would fit together if he hugged Zykun is neither here nor there. Awatok shakes his head for what seems like the hundredth time that day, trying to clear it of a whole new confusion.

“Okay... good. Then. I guess,” he says, then abruptly turns and hurries back into the crowd.

Zykun stands there for a moment, lost in his thoughts. Awatok was so close, so warm, so... sweet. Is... does he like him? He can’t... but... does he? That's ridiculous. They were just talking about how they don't trust him, but... Awatok was always more accepting of him than Kano. He knows that if he fell for one of the twins, the other would surely kill him. Kano definitely would. He shakes his head. This is ridiculous. There's no way he could ever even think of romance. He runs after Awatok, not wanting to lose him in the crowd.

“Do you see your brother anywhere?” he asks, changing the subject and looking around.

“Not yet,” Awatok says, glancing at Zykun and then quickly turning away again to scan the crowd. Don’t blush don’t blush d-... dammit. But thankfully he spots Kano at a market stand not too far away and walks toward her, giving himself enough distraction to stop blushing and forget whatever it was that almost happened in the alley. Almost.

“Hey,” he says to Kano as he approaches her, “Thanks for waiting.”

She glances at them and sets down the water flask she was looking at. “Yeah, no problem,” she replies. “There are some cheap bedrolls a couple stalls down,” she nods her head, “and we should probably get some water skins.”

“Good idea,” Awatok agrees, “Was this one any good?” He picks up the flask she had just set down, looking it over. “It looks pretty good,” he muses without waiting for her answer, then turns to the shopkeeper, “How much for three?”

The shopkeeper names a price and Zykun successfully negotiates him down a few coppers. He pays and they get three water skins. “Where were the bedrolls?” he asks Kano.

“This way,” she says, motioning down the line of stalls.

Awatok follows Kano, pointedly looking forward and never glancing to the side at Zykun, lest he blush again and incur some sort of horrible Kano-wrath. “We should probably get some more food, too, for the road,” he says with careful casualness.

“There’s sure to be some provisions around,” Kano says, "that will keep for a while.” They reach the stand with the bedrolls and Zykun purchases three. They get a couple bags as well to carry their new stuff.

Once they procure enough supplies and thankfully not run into Shizu again, they head out of town and back into the forest. Though Awatok knew it before, it’s really sinking in how miserable it’s going to be being on the run from the law.


	7. Lunch and Discussion

The trio resume walking along the river and Zykun pulls out their new map. 

“According to the map, this river heads south and feeds into a larger one,” he informs the twins. “We can follow it, then connect up with the main river and head north along it. That’ll take us most of the way to Ba Sing Se, then we’ll have to cross a desert. That’s going to suck.” 

“Yeah,” Kano agrees. She wants to stay near the water. Even now she’s bending a small amount as they walk just because she can. There aren’t any guards to restrict her and it’s been much too long since she got to bend when and how she wanted.

“Any idea how long it’ll take to get there?” Awatok asks, looking around as they walk for lack of something else to do. He catches sight of Kano and notices she’s bending, which makes him smile. He can tell she’s enjoying freedom just as much as he is.

“I don’t know. The Earth Kingdom continent is a very big place. I don’t know how fast we’re travelling right now, but I’d guess somewhere in the realm of a couple weeks?” Zykun estimates.

“A couple weeks? Really? Damn,” Kano says, twirling the water around her head. “That’s a long ways to walk.”

Awatok doesn’t look excited about the length of the trip either, but he tries to stay optimistic. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other,” he says, glancing at Kano to gauge her level of disgust for the idea, “and at least we have the river, even if there’s nothing to hide us from the sun.” He looks up at it as he speaks, frowning at its glaring heat. Just as bad as the firebenders it gives power to, always making his life difficult. Well, except one, he thinks with a cautious glance in Zykun’s direction. Kano grunts. She’s not excited to spend that much time with the damn firebender, but she can’t really help it, can she. He’ll be fine just so long as he doesn’t try to turn them in.

“Yeah,” Zykun responds, not bringing his gaze up from the map. He wonders if Awatok means anything more by that. Probably not. He doubts Awatok even considers him as a friend, seeing how his attitude has been flipflopping ever since they escaped. One minute he’s nice, the next he’s shunning him. Zykun’s just waiting for him to bounce back from his earlier gesture of kindness and be mean to him again.

Awatok decides that Kano is merely irate, not disgusted, and for now that’s good enough. As long as she doesn’t attack him, she can hate Zykun all she wants. Even though it would be much better if they could all get along. He steps closer to Zykun, looking over the man’s shoulder at the map. “We should probably plan out our route at least a few days in advance. That way we’ll know where to stop for the night before we get there.”

Zykun jumps as Awatok speaks right behind him, then relaxes as he realizes he’s not going to harm him. “Um, yeah, good idea,” he says. “This map is recent, so it shows mostly what’s forest and what’s desert. Let’s see how far we can get today, then I’ll use that to plan out where we can camp and how much ground we can cover.”

“I’m not sure I want _you_ planning out our route,” Kano says from in front of them.

“Do you know how to read a map?” Zykun asks coolly, daring to talk back to her and praying she won't retaliate.

“...No.”

Awatok frowns thoughtfully. Kano has a point. Zykun probably isn’t trying to lead them into a trap, but maybe it would be better to not leave all the planning to him. Then again, Zykun also has a point. He’s the only one who can read the map. Either this is a coincidence or a part of a devious plot to get them caught and arrested. Probably a coincidence. Maybe. “When you’re planning the route tonight, you can teach us how to read it. Or just me, if Kano doesn’t want to,” he says, pushing back his infuriating indecision, “Then we can work together on the planning.”

“That’s a good idea,” Zykun responds, picking up on the subtext. They still don’t trust him, and he doesn’t blame them. “I can start teaching you now, if you want?” He really wants to gain their trust but he knows that’s probably not going to happen for a long time, if ever.

“Sure, why not?” Awatok smiles, taking this offer as a sign of good faith, “There’s nothing else to do anyway.” He shifts forward a bit so he can reach over Zykun’s arm to point at the compass of the map. His arm brushes against the other man’s, and for a moment he forgets what exactly he was doing. He clears his throat loudly, coming back to his senses, and asks, “This looks important. What is it?”

Zykun glances at Awatok as their arms brush, then quickly back down to the map. It’s nothing. That was an accident. “Um- that’s the compass rose,” he says, regaining composure. “It tells you which way is north on the map. Generally the top of the paper is north and the bottom is south. The left side is west and the right is east.”

Awatok nods, focusing his gaze down to be sure he doesn’t accidentally meet Zykun’s eyes. “Seems simple enough,” he nods, “So where are we now, on the map?” While he speaks he studies the map, trying to reason out the meaning of the symbols. Obviously the blue lines are water, and probably the green sections are forest, but the rest is more difficult to make sense of.

Zykun explains the different markings on the map and how to calculate the direction based on the sun since it rises in the east and sets in the west. They of course have a compass, but it never hurts to know how to use the sun to find one’s direction. He then shows the waterbender how to use the compass to find their direction and place on the map. Awatok listens carefully, nodding along as Zykun explains. When he’s finished, Awatok finds they’ve covered a fair amount of ground. He smiles. He didn’t even notice the time passing.

“Well, that seems simple enough. I can show you later, too, Kano,” he says, turning to his twin, “Making a plan tonight shouldn’t be hard.” His stomach suddenly growls as he speaks.

Kano laughs. “Wow, was that really your stomach? I heard it all the way over here. Maybe we should stop and eat.”

Awatok blushes, sticking his tongue out at Kano. “I can’t help my appetite, Kano. My stomach must be excited now that it gets real food.” He settles down on the river bank, taking off his shoes so he can put his feet in the flowing water.

“Yeah, I’m starving too,” Kano says, taking off her pack and shoes and sitting next to Awatok on the riverbed. “Hm... I wonder if there are any fish in the river.” She wades in a couple feet and looks around. “Ah ha!” With a sudden gesture, she pulls a glob of water out of the river with a good-sized fish in it. “Awatok, look at this!” She bends the water around as she wades back to shore to show off her prize.

Awatok grins. “Looks delicious!” he says, “Let’s go fishing.” He chuckles, standing and wading into the water. He peers into the water for a moment, then pulls out a bubble with two small fish, both swimming around in great confusion. “Here, hold these a second.” With another laugh, he bends their bubbles together to make one large one. Kano grins and takes over the water, bending the three fish over to the shore and dropping them far enough in so they won’t flop away. Zykun smiles a little as he watches the twins, then grimaces a little as his arm throbs, reminding him of his burn. He walks over to the water’s edge and strips off his shirt before unwrapping the bandage around his arm, carefully positioned so the twins can’t see his burn, which honestly doesn't look good at this point. He soaks the bandage in water to clean it and glances at the twins, who are still playing in the river. After catching around a dozen fish they’re now just splashing each other with water, laughing and running around. Zykun watches them with a small smile, admiring them and their waterbending. Even more than admiration, he envies them. Oh, to be a waterbender. He wishes he was. They move so fluidly, like the water itself, so graceful and just... amazing. 

Kano yells in triumph as Awatok collapses onto the bank, panting. They’re both soaked to the bone and exhausted after their play. “I think you win this round, Kano. I just can’t go on!” he says with a dramatic flourish, then laughs again, grinning. He hasn’t felt this at ease in years, and his whole body is reveling in the feeling, the freedom, of being able to play without fear or worry. For a glorious moment he’d forgotten that they’re fugitives, but as he catches sight of Zykun from the corner of his eye he remembers and some part of his joyousness evaporates. He turns his head to look fully at the man, confused at the warm feeling spreading in his chest even as he grows sad at the reminder of his reality. It’s the same feeling from earlier, and he still has no idea what it is.

Kano sits on the bank next to him and her grin drops as she follows his gaze, reminded of their situation. Damn. They’re still fugitives and stuck with that annoying shirtless firebender. Wait, why is he shirtless? She notices him wrapping something around his arm and figures it must be a bandage. 

“Oi, put a shirt on!” she calls over as she goes to pick up the fish. Most have ceased flopping by now and what ones that still are are weak. She rummages around in her pack to find the knife she purchased.

Zykun looks up, startled, as Kano yells at him. “Yeah, sorry, one second!” He pulls on his shirt and stands up, walking over to them.

Awatok sits up, still watching Zykun. Without realizing it, he’s looking for the contours of the man’s chest he had been able to see until they were suddenly covered up. When he notices what he’s doing, he quickly turns away and hurries over to Kano. He picks up a fish and tries to ignore the heat spreading over his cheeks.

“It’s a shame we don’t have a way to cook them,” he says as he digs out his own. He’s so flustered it doesn’t occur to him that they’re traveling with someone who can conjure fire at will.

“I can gather some firewood if we wanted to cook them...” Zykun trails off, not sure how open they are to him lighting a fire. 

Kano glances up at him, then back down to her work. “Fine. I would prefer not to eat raw fish. See if you can find anything for a campfire.” There’s some scraggly brush and bushes around. Zykun walks off to find kindling.

“Do you remember how we used to cook them, back home?” Awatok asks quietly, his tone nostalgic as he watches Kano clean the fish, “When we find a place to settle down we should make stew again and eat it with grilled fish, like we used to.”

“Yeah,” she murmurs as she expertly slices through the fish. She still remembers how to gut and clean a fish even after four years of no contact with seafood. She takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. “Awatok, I miss home.” She looks up at him.

Awatok meets her eyes, smiling sadly out of understanding. He moves closer and pulls her into a hug. “I do, too, Kano,” he whispers, “More than anything.” He doesn’t assure her that it will turn out okay or that they’ll make a new home somewhere someday. Such words would be meaningless, even if they do turn out true. He just holds her and shares her sadness, because he shared her loss four years ago. Kano takes a deep breath and tightly hugs him back. He’s her only family, her only friend in the entire world.

“Promise me we’ll always stick together,” she murmurs. She knows Awatok’s never going to leave her, but she still likes to hear him say it.

“We’ll always stick together,” Awatok murmurs back, “I promise. I love you, Kano.” He gives her a gentle squeeze, then pulls away and smiles at her. He’s glad to have her as a twin, and he can’t imagine life without her, so of course they’ll never be apart.

Kano smiles back, looking into his ice blue eyes that so perfectly match her own. “I love you too, Awatok. You’re the best brother anyone could ask for.” She knows she can trust him with anything. They’re so close, sometimes she thinks she can fell his thoughts and emotions. They have a mutual understanding of pretty much everything; it’s like they can communicate without even talking.

Awatok holds her gaze for a moment, seeing her trust and returning it wholeheartedly. Everything with Kano is easy, and he can understand her even when he laments her impulsiveness. But, disagreements or no, they are always a team. Slipping smoothly from this tender moment to their previous casual chat, he hands her the last fish and says, “You, too, Kano. Let’s hurry up and cook these. I’m starved!”

“Yeah, where is Zykun?” Kano responds, looking around. As if on cue, Zykun returns with a bunch of sticks and dry wood.

“This is all I could find,” he says, sitting down a couple feet away from the twins and arranging them in a pile. He keeps a couple longer sticks off to the side so they can spear the fish to cook them. Anxiously he looks up at the twins, not wanting to firebend without permission.

“Go ahead,” Awatok prompts him, “We won’t attack you for lighting a fire.” It crosses his mind that Zykun might be hesitating because of what he mentioned about hating his firebending, so he considers offering to turn around. But he doesn’t want to be too accommodating or Kano will get up in arms. Besides, what if he really is a traitor just waiting for an excuse to attack them with their backs turned? Awatok groans inwardly at himself and his continuously, infuriatingly uncertain thoughts.

Kano’s not happy about the firebending, but she figures it’s necessary. Starting the fire manually would take a hell of a lot of effort and she doesn’t know if she even remembers how. Instead, she focuses on deboning the fish.

Zykun looks down and sends a small jet of fire into the pile of sticks. It crackles merrily to life as the firebender pulls his knees to his chest, glancing at the twins. Awatok seems like he’s lost in thought and Kano’s violently hacking apart a fish. He shifts his gaze out over the river and scoots away from the fire, feeling ashamed about who he is, what he can do, and what his kin has done.

Awatok blinks back to reality after a long moment of thought, frowning as he notices how agitated Kano is. He quietly lays a hand on her shoulder to soothe her, then moves away to pick up the sticks Zykun had laid down.

“Let me know when there’s some ready to cook,” he says to Kano, “I’ll get them on these and get started.” While he waits, he quietly watches Zykun. He can’t really see the man’s face since he’s looking away across the river, but from what he can tell Zykun looks sad, even hopeless. He’s finding it harder and harder to believe that he could be a spy or a traitor.

“These ones are done,” Kano announces after cleaning a few with water from the river. She hands them to Awatok to spear and roast. “I’ll finish up the others.”

“Good idea,” Awatok nods to Kano, spearing the fish and slowly roasting them over the fire, letting his mind wander. He tries to envision life after this traveling. What will it be like, living freely with Kano somewhere in the Fire Nation? They’ll always have to hide, to wear disguises, maybe even pretend to support their former captors. But if they really do find a pocket of resistance at Ba Sing Se, like they hope to, life will be entirely different. However, he’s not sure it will be better. They’ll still be in hiding, still be in danger, and unless the resistance defeats the Fire Nation, which he doubts is possible, they’ll still be under its thumb one way or another. He begins to wonder how much freedom they’ll really find out here and he can’t see much. But at least, he reminds himself, they will be better off than they ever were on the farm, even if they can’t regain the life they once had.

Zykun listens to the twins talk and lets his mind wander, thinking about why he helped them escape in the first place. Why _did_ he? Truthfully, he’s not sure. He sees something powerful in them, but what it is, he doesn’t know. He just knows they’re special somehow and letting them die would be a huge mistake. He’s going to protect them at whatever the cost, even if they keep hurting him. It’s not like it’s a foreign situation to him. He doesn’t think Kano will ever really trust him. Awatok, maybe... but he’s confusing. One minute he’s nice, the next he’s not. At least with Kano he knows to expect cruelty. He understands why they hate him so much and he knows that a hurdle like that is hard to overcome, but it still hurts. He knows firebenders destroyed their life and enslaved them. He can never overcome his kin’s horrible deeds and he figures that every time the twins look at him, they’re reminded of what the Fire Nation did.

A sudden throb of his arm pulls Zykun out of his thoughts. He winces slightly and rests his hand on it, trying to fight the pain. It’s not that bad. He’s fine, really. He looks over at Awatok and notices one of the fish burning. “Um, Awatok? The fish...” he speaks up. How long have they been sitting in silence? He’s not sure. 

Awatok jumps as the silence is broken and looks at the fish. Muttering curse words, he quickly pulls it out of the fire and takes some water from the river to douse it. As he sets the not-quite-burned fish aside, he catches Zykun clutching his arm.

“Hey, come here,” he says, his tone somewhere between gentle and bossy.

“What is it?” Zykun asks, wary as the waterbender approaches him. Awatok bends some water over from the river as he scoots closer, his fish-roasting forgotten.

“I need to see your arm,” he says, sympathy in his voice even though he tries to be matter-of-fact, “I know you said you could deal with it, but you’re clearly in a lot of pain from that burn, so I’m going to heal it. Take off your shirt, please.” 

“What? No, I’m fine, really,” Zykun says. “It's okay. You don’t need to worry about me.” Kano looks up, their voices pulling her out of her own thoughts that coincidentally closely mirrored Awatok’s.

“We’re not,” she says flatly. Zykun glances at her, then away. They obviously don’t care about him... so why is Awatok offering to heal him?

Awatok is quiet for a moment, glancing at Kano and then back at Zykun. Is he worried? He doesn’t think so. He just doesn’t want Zykun to be in pain. Even if he is a firebender, it seems odd to let someone stay hurt when he knows how to heal them. After all, it’s not like Zykun has attacked them. But he hasn’t asked for help, either, so why is there this nagging feeling of needing to help him?

“Right, we’re not worried,” he says, “It’s just inconvenient, you being injured. What if we were attacked? You’d be more vulnerable, and we don’t need any more reason to be easy targets. Just let me heal you, it’s not a big deal.” Maybe if he stacks up enough logic behind it, he can ignore the feeling and not wonder what it means.

“I... I guess you’re right.” Zykun reluctantly pulls off his shirt and unwraps his arm. Awatok actually gasps as he reveals a blistering, oozing, pus-filled, painful looking burn that covers most of his upper arm, obviously much worse than he let on, and rows of thin, horizontal scars on his arms. Zykun looks away, feeling like a child who got caught hiding something from his parents. It really is worse than he let on, but he thought it would heal on its own. He doesn’t want to be a burden, but his arm _is_ really painful and he’s thankful that Awatok is going to heal him.

Awatok feels an urge to scold Zykun for not telling him it was this bad rising in him. He resists though, since he doesn’t want to seem too invested in Zykun’s well-being, though he’s afraid he already is. Why should he care so much about a firebender, and the son of their former captor at that, being wounded? Why _does_ he is the better question. He sighs.

“It’s no wonder you kept wincing,” he says instead, looking away from Zykun’s eyes and focusing instead on his arm as he slowly uses the water to heal the burn. He’s afraid to meet the man’s eyes, though he can’t quite explain why. It's quite easy to avoid, however, considering Zykun refuses to look at him.

“I’m sorry,” Zykun whispers. He doesn’t want to upset Awatok more. As the cooling water spreads over the burn he exhales in relief. “That feels a lot better...” He trails off, not sure how to react. No one’s ever reached out to him like this before and he really doesn’t want to mess it up by saying something stupid. He admires the waterbenders greatly... but is it more than that? Awatok seems nice, but he’s hesitant to reach out because of how the waterbender rebuked him earlier. But he _has_ done nice things... Zykun’s very confused. He can’t figure him out.

Awatok glances up as Zykun speaks, then again looks down. A slight blush creeps onto his cheeks and he pulls the water away from the firebender’s wound and drops it back in the river. The pus is gone and the wound is beginning to heal, but is still in bad shape.

“This is all I can do for now,” he says, “Healing takes a lot of energy and we’ve still got more walking to do. When we camp tonight I’ll try again. I think this is going to take a while. You let it get pretty bad.” He frowns as he speaks, disappointed that he can’t do more right away and also inexplicably upset that Zykun hadn’t come to him earlier for healing. He clearly needed it. Of course, it makes sense to not ask someone to heal you if you’re worried they hate you... but it’s not like that. He doesn’t hate the firebender, and some part of him yearns to be friends, but he can’t get over his fear that Zykun might be tricking them. He wishes there was some sign to make everything clear. He wishes he could make sense of his feelings.

“I’m sorry,” Zykun replies, “I just...” He trails off with a sigh, deciding not to continue that thought. They probably don’t care what he thinks, which was that he didn’t want to be a burden for them, but he guesses he’s more of one now because of his arm. It might slow him down if they have to fight. “Never mind.” He stands and walks over to the river to re-soak and re-wrap his bandage. He pulls his shirt back on with a slight wince and returns to the campfire, thankful that Awatok didn’t comment on his scars. He starts to get lost in his thoughts again, but a sharp poke on his cheek snaps him out of it. He flinches and looks at Kano, who’s pointing a stick with fish on it at him.

“Here,” she says, “eat up. We got a lot of walking to do.” Zykun wordlessly accepts the fish, avoiding eye contact with her.

“Thanks,” he says before taking a bite. It’s fairly bland since they don’t have any spices, but has a faint smoky taste from the fire.

Awatok takes some fish of his own, quietly enjoying it. He smiles at Kano when she offers the fish to Zykun, glad to see them sort of getting along, even in a very minimal way. While he eats, he absentmindedly ponders the landscape. For a desert of burned trees, it’s not a terrible view, as long as he doesn’t think about how and why those trees were burned. The sky is bright blue, and between that blue and the river’s blue there is a stretch of tan earth crossed with blackened tree trunks.

No one says very much as they finish eating. They sit in silence, lost in their own thoughts, and admire the scenery. Once they’ve had their fill, Kano packs up the rest of the fish. She draws water from the river and violently puts out the fire, scattering the coals. Zykun winces, needlessly reminded how much Kano hates fire and all who are associated with it.

“Shall we be off?” she asks as she hoists her pack onto her shoulders.

“Just a second,” Awatok says, gathering the sticks they’d used to spear the fish and putting them in his own pack for later use. The trio starts off down the river. As they walk, Awatok pulls water from the river and fills his canteen. Though they’ll hardly be facing a scarcity of water, he decides it’s not a bad idea to keep the canteen full. At the very least, it’s more convenient than crouching down to drink.

While they walk, Awatok stays next to Kano rather than Zykun, partly because he’s not sure what to say around the man now. So instead he decides to chat with his twin.

“So, when we find the rebels, what’s the first thing you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” Kano says, pulling water from the river to fill her own canteen. “Find out if we can help fight the Fire Nation in any way, I guess.” She figures there’s not much else to do. They can’t live normally; they have to fight and get at least a few victories against the damn firebenders. Do anything they can to try and reclaim land, not that it’ll probably work. The Fire Nation’s army is enormous and pretty much all powerful. But still... they have to try.

“Yeah,” Awatok agrees. It’s quite the daunting task, but he sees no other option for them. He falls silent, not having much else to say, and stares out over the river as they travel downstream.


	8. Darkness Falls

The three spend the rest of the day in relative silence, thoughtful. When the sun starts to set, Awatok wearily suggests, “We should start looking for a good place to camp.” But looking around, all he sees is more burned trees so he wonders if maybe they might as well stop where they are.

“There's just burned shit here,” Kano remarks, echoing Awatok’s thoughts. “There’s not much cover at all... I’m wary of stopping here. What if the soldiers take a boat down the river? We’re sitting ducks.”

“We could take turns keeping a lookout,” Zykun suggests. Kano turns to look at him and he quickly looks down.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Awatok says, keeping an eye on Kano, “Kano and I will take turns. You can just sleep.” This is the politest way he can think of to say ‘you’re not allowed to guard us because you might be a spy for the enemy.’ Maybe. Probably not. But maybe. Dammit.

“Are you sure?” Zykun asks.

“Yes,” Kano says flatly. “Let’s set up here. It’s best we don’t have a fire now; it would be a beacon right to us.”

Zykun kneels down to unpack his bedroll. He figures they wouldn’t want him on lookout. He is a firebender, after all... he’s not to be trusted still, apparently. He wonders for what seems like the hundredth time if they’ll ever trust him. Awatok spreads out his bedroll several feet away from Zykun, near Kano. “Yeah, it’s better to avoid fire as much as we can,” he agrees. Zykun feels a sharp pain in his chest as he hears the waterbender's comment and avoids looking at him as the man walks over. Yep, they still hate him. He knows.

“Um, hi,” Awatok says, suddenly unsure of himself even though a moment ago he’d known exactly what his plan of action was, “You, uh....you should take off your shirt. So I can work on your arm again.” He preemptively pulls some water from the river and wonders why his chest feels warm again. That’s the third time today, and he still hasn’t the slightest idea what’s causing it. It always seems to happen around Zykun.

Zykun wordlessly removes his shirt and unwraps his bandage. He blushes a little, suddenly very self conscious around the other man. Why? It’s not like he’s foreign to the concept of being naked around other guys. At the Academy they had communal showers after training. So why is it so different being shirtless around Awatok? Sure he’s self conscious about his scars, but that can’t be all of it, right? He’s acutely aware of just how close their bodies are.

Awatok watches the man unwrap his bandage so he can get a good view of the wound. But somehow, without noticing how, he finds his eyes fixed on Zykun’s chest instead. Suddenly conscious of what he’s looking at, he blushes and jerks his eyes back to the task at hand. As he wraps Zykun’s wound in water and starts the healing, he decides some small talk is in order.

“So, um... you were away at some academy for a long time, right? Because you weren’t around from what I remember until a year or so ago,” he says, stopping himself suddenly. He feels like he’s rambling, which isn’t like him. Hadn’t he meant to ask a question he didn’t already know the answer to? He’s sure he had, but he can’t remember anymore what it was.

“Yeah,” Zykun says, keeping his eyes downcast. “I was there for twelve years. My dad insisted on me going to the best fire academy in the Fire Nation.” Kano snorts from a couple feet away as she unpacks the fish. Zykun stops talking as his chest tightens.

“Go on,” Awatok prompts after it's clear he's not going to continue. "Just ignore her." That garners a glare from his twin, but he doesn't care.

“I dunno, that’s basically it. I got back a year or so ago and continued my firebending training with my father and a private tutor.”

“Well, what about when you were at school?” Awatok asks hesitantly, glancing over at Kano. He wants to know more about Zykun, just to help determine his intentions, of course. But he is afraid Kano won’t like the idea of hearing about Zykun’s life, since she gets angry basically whenever he speaks. He returns his attention to his healing, hoping this goes okay.

“What about it?” Zykun replies. “I mean, I was at school... is there anything specific you want to know?”

Kano keeps her mouth shut. She knows Awatok’s only trying to make small talk, but she still doesn’t like hearing about Zykun’s fucking well-off, prestigious life.

“Well, I mean...” Awatok attempts to be more specific, frowning at himself for faltering on his words. He takes a breath, refocuses, and then continues, “Why don’t you talk about your training? It must have been intensive. You’re very... fit.” His eyes have wandered again to Zykun’s chest, and he clears his throat and returns them to Zykun’s arm with a blush.

“Um, yeah.” Zykun blushes, noticing the other man’s eyes wandering to his chest. What the hell? Why is Awatok staring at him like that? He fiddles nervously with his hands and continues. “It was intense. We had to work out and practice every day at school, then my father continued the regimen at home when I returned, but with a private tutor, since they don’t teach the most advanced forms of firebending like lightning in the schools.”

Awatok nods. “That makes sense. I’d never seen anyone bend lightning until yesterday,” he admits, “It’s... powerful.” He wanted to say frightening, but somehow it seems rude to describe it that way when Zykun was the one bending it.

“It’s terrifying,” Zykun admits quietly. “Holding that much power, that much energy, in your body... it’s absolutely terrifying. One wrong move and... it’s over. Bending lightning is just as dangerous for the bender as it is for the target. But my dad forced me to learn it. Or at least try to... I was never able to produce it until yesterday.” 

Azon had forced him to learn the most advanced firebending, determined to make his son a prodigy no matter what Zykun wanted. Azon values power so he put a lot of time, money, and effort into teaching his son advanced forms and techniques. Zykun is grateful that he did, despite his hatred for fire, but he figures that if he has to bend it he may as well do it to the best of his ability. Since he has advanced training he’s in complete control of his bending and can make sure that no one gets hurt unless he wants them to. He has excellent self-control and understanding of how firebending works. He supposes he can thank his father for that. Not that he would.

“Oh boo hoo, my dad made me learn a ridiculously powerful form of firebending, woe is me,” Kano taunts, sick of hearing about Zykun’s life and how well-off he was. Fucking pansy-ass son of a bitch flaunting his glorious life in front of their faces. He’s such a pig. She doesn’t know why Awatok even cares about him in the first place or why he’s bothering to heal him. He certainly doesn’t deserve it.

Awatok sighs, conflicted. He feels something like pity listening to Zykun’s story, being forced to learn such a dangerous kind of bending _and_ hating his own firebending on top of it. He can understand why Zykun hates fire, he hates it too, but he doesn’t bend it. As he works on Zykun’s arm, taking a close look at what that power can do to people, he can sympathize with someone forced to hold it inside himself whether he likes it or not. But, at the same time, he shares Kano’s feelings of resentment. While he was off at school or in the training field with his father, they were wearing themselves to the bone to grow food for their captors and the people who had killed their parents. What right did he have to a tale of woe? He frowns, at Zykun, at himself, at he doesn’t know what.

Awatok looks up from his work, studying Zykun’s face. Its angles are well-defined with a strong jaw that isn’t intimidating in its firmness. Those gold eyes shine out from under short, but delicate, lashes and beneath them the slight curve of an almost-soft cheek flows toward his mouth. It occurs to Awatok with a calm confusion that he is noticing things he never intended to look at. He had turned his gaze on Zykun to search once again, and hopelessly, for a proof that he could be trusted and accepted. Something to resolve the tension between empathy and resentment. So why is he caught up by these other observations?

“I’m sorry,” Zykun says quietly, looking away from the twins. They’ll never accept him. He’s a well-off firebender and they’re not well-off waterbenders. They're complete opposites. Their lives were ruined by his kin and they were enslaved. “I’ll just stop talking... you don’t really care about my life.” Ignoring the fact that Awatok was the one who asked about it.

“Damn right we don’t,” Kano snorts, taking a bite of fish.

“...if I may... what was your home like?” Zykun glances between the twins and notices Awatok staring at him with those ice blue eyes of his. They pierce through his own, yet are strangely soft and... is that kindness he sees? No, it can’t be. They hate him. Zykun quickly averts his gaze, not wanting to seem enthralled by Awatok’s.

Awatok blushes when their eyes meet and an odd sense of regret passes over him when the man looks away. Odd, how he wants a better look into those sad, glittering eyes. It’s probably only because he wants so badly to know Zykun’s intentions. That is, after all, the only logical reason.

“It was a small village,” Awatok answers him, because he doubts Kano would. “Everyone knew each other, but Kano and I played mostly by ourselves. The other kids were younger and anyway we’ve always liked each other’s company best. Mother used to tease us about it, that if either of us got married our wife would get two husbands at once because we were inseparable.” He smiles at the memory and doesn’t worry that it might be dangerous to talk about their past with a potential enemy. It just feels natural, somehow, telling his story to Zykun, who finally looks up at Awatok as he listens to the waterbender talk. 

“Mother used to tell us about how the Fire Nation attacked the Northern Water Tribe while she and a dozen other members of the tribe were out fishing,” Kano flatly jumps in, glaring over at Zykun, whose smile vanishes. “There was little warning; they had a giant airship that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The city was melted and burned in minutes. They couldn't do anything. No one could. Everyone but them died. The people on the fishing trip buried the whole city in snow to make one giant tomb for their lost brethren before fleeing. Ever determined, they found a new, small island and made a life there until the Fire Nation found them again, killed all the women, and took the rest of us away to become slaves.” Kano wants Zykun to feel as shitty as possible. What right does he have to ask about their past? It’s not like he cares. Damn, talking about this is probably going to give her horrible nightmares tonight.

Awatok winces at Kano’s story, pulling his hands away from Zykun’s arm and tossing the water aside into the dirt with a soft splash. He moves away, toward Kano, and announces, “We should sleep. I can’t do any more for your arm now, anyway.” As he feels about in the moonlight for his sleeping mat, he silently berates himself. What was he doing, chatting like that with Zykun? It went beyond probing for intentions. He shouldn’t have answered the question. Now he just hopes Kano won’t be too upset with him, and he hopes even more that the nightmares won’t torment her tonight.

“I’ll take first watch,” Kano says, sitting cross legged on her bed roll and looking at Awatok. She wants to delay the inevitable nightmares for as long as possible. “I’ll wake you in a couple hours.”

“Okay,” Awatok nods, crawling into his sleeping bag, “don’t make it more than a couple, though. You need rest too, Kano, and I’ll be right here while you’re sleeping.” He adds the last bit because he knows she’s worried about nightmares, but he doesn’t want her to forego sleeping to avoid them. Trying to suppress both his worry for her and an uncomfortable almost-guilt for being so curt to Zykun, he lays down and settles in, soon falling asleep.

Zykun pulls on his shirt and lays out his bed roll, a heavy weight on his chest. He shouldn’t have asked about their life. Kano probably hates him even more now and Awatok flipped back again. He was being nice, then Kano spoke up and he pulled away. Maybe Zykun should just stop trying. They obviously have no interest in befriending him and he’s just going to get hurt more if he lets himself get emotionally attached. He already is a little bit... he supposes he wouldn’t have helped them escape if he wasn’t invested in their survival. As he starts to tear up, he turns his back to the twins and curls up on his bedroll. This unfortunately means that he’s lying on his burned arm, but he doesn’t particularly care at this point. He’s just a firebending piece of shit. All he causes is pain and destruction; he figures he deserves a little himself. He’s used to it anyhow.

A few hours later, Awatok wakes to Kano’s gentle shaking. “Ready for bed?” he mumbles, sitting up.

“Yeah,” she murmurs, lying next to him. “Wake me in a few hours... or if I start to dream...” She’s scared of going to sleep, to relive that fateful day over and over again. Nevertheless, she’s exhausted from all the walking and falls asleep within a couple minutes of lying down. 

Restless and disturbed by their voices, Zykun stirs and covers his mouth, trying not to make a sound as tears slip down his cheeks. He woke a few minutes prior after a nightmare about his father burning him alive. Kano was there, too... laughing and bending water just out of his reach. He trembles in his bedroll and muffles a hiccup, praying that Kano doesn’t hear him. Or Awatok. He’s not sure which one is up. Regardless, he’s a mess and would be mortified if either of them found out.

Awatok settles in, sitting with his legs crossed and intending to keep a close eye on Kano. Through the darkness he hears Zykun shift, but assumes he’s just a restless sleeper. When he hears the muffled sound of, well, of something, maybe a sob or a hiccup or a cough, he begins to doubt that conclusion. But he stays where he is, because if Zykun _is_ still asleep he doesn’t want to wake him, so he waits to make sure.

Zykun wipes away his tears, but he’s crying too hard for it to do much good. The twins hate him, but he can’t leave them. He can’t go back to his father, even if he did want to, but he’s not sure this is much better. He tries to keep his movements small and unnoticeable, but it’s hard. A quiet sob racks his body and he claps a hand over his mouth, freezing in place and hoping the awake twin didn’t hear. Though in this silent night, how could they not?

Observing Zykun’s slightly shaking form, Awatok decides for a moment that he must be having a nightmare and wonders if it would be appropriate to wake him out of it. When he hears the sob, perfectly clear in the silence, he moves forward and starts crawling to Zykun’s side. He is already moving when he consciously decides he should help, but the difference in time is small enough that he doesn’t notice his action is automatic rather than chosen.

“Hey,” he whispers once he’s close enough, “Are you awake?”

Shit. Shit shit shit. Zykun freezes. Maybe the twin will think he’s still asleep. He assumes it’s Awatok since he’s extending a gesture of kindness, but he’s not sure and doesn’t want to risk it. He’s still trembling, unable to control the slight motion. He figures now that he inadvertently has Awatok’s attention, he won’t go away.

“...yeah,” he barely whispers, answering Awatok’s question. “I- I’m fine. Just-” he hiccups, trying to catch his breath, “just can’t sleep.” He tries to keep his voice neutral, but it quickly betrays him and breaks with a strangled sob.

“Why not?” Awatok asks softly, then adds as he realizes, “you’re crying.” He suppresses an urge to reach out and hug Zykun because that is clearly out of bounds, no matter that he wants to stop the firebender’s trembling and tears. It’s not his place to comfort. They’re not even friends, as he is frequently reminded by Kano’s snapping and Zykun’s heavy sighs. So he tries his best with words, holding his arms close to himself to keep them in line.

“It’s nothing, I- I swear,” Zykun quietly insists, his defenses quickly breaking down. “I just- just need a minute.” He furiously wipes away his tears, but more just keep coming. He can barely whisper through his sobbing, though he’s attempting to keep it quiet so he won’t wake Kano. That would be horrible; he’d never let Zykun live this down. “Don- don’t worry a- about me-” Not that Awatok does anyway. “I- I’ll be fine.” He’ll never be fine. His life is ruined, and for what? To help these two abusive waterbenders through the damn desert? They don’t need a firebender for that. He’s just dead weight for them to worry about. Maybe... maybe it would be better for them if he literally was. The idea has certainly crossed his mind before. He wouldn’t have to worry about the twins trusting him or hurting him or what his father will do to him if he ever finds him again. He’d be free from the nightmares and the pain. It’s not like he has anything to live for any more. “I’m just going to go f- for a quick swim I think t- to clear my head.” He sits up, facing away from Awatok so he can’t see his face in the bright moonlight.

Awatok doesn’t believe for a moment that it’s nothing, but Zykun is being so insistent that he nods along. No sense in wounding the firebender’s pride, especially after already being so harsh with him. He frowns, wondering what makes him care about the wounded pride of a firebender, but this thought flees from his mind as Zykun sits up.

“A swim? It’s the middle of the night,” he protests, “It’s dangerous swimming alone, especially in the dark. Why don’t you just lay back down? I won’t tell Kano, and you can go back to sleep...”

"No, I- I'm a good swimmer and the water's not bad," Zykun stammers, persistent. "I'll be back in a couple minutes... I just need to wash off." He staggers to his feet.

Awatok frowns, but doesn’t try to stop him. He moves back to his own bedroll, watching Zykun closely. “All right... just don’t be gone too long,” he says, and begins counting in his head to keep track. There’s something not quite right going on, but maybe he’s just being paranoid.

Zykun walks to the water’s edge and starts to wade in, not caring that he’s still fully dressed. It’s not like it matters anyway. The shock of the cold water sends shivers up his body. He wades out near the middle of the river, but at this point it’s more like a stream. It only comes up to his chest and the lazy current barely tugs at his legs. One certainly wouldn’t describe this river as ‘rushing.’

He ducks his head below the water to cool his flushed face and get acclimated to the cold. He’s always liked swimming. He was part of the swim team at his school and was one of the best, so he’s a strong swimmer... when he wants to be, that is. He surfaces and pushes his wet hair back, wiping water from his eyes. The moon is just past full and light glints off the smooth onyx water as Zykun looks around. He glances back at Awatok and wonders if they could have been friends in another lifetime. He thinks he would have liked that... but this one is too fucked up for that to be the case. He can’t leave them, they’ll think he left to turn them in and he doesn’t want that, but he can’t stay here either. This is worse than living with his father; he can’t bear it. Both twins are horrible in their own way, one’s physically and the other’s emotionally abusive. He doesn’t know which one is worse, but soon he won’t have to worry about that. The twins will be better off without him, anyway.

He takes a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and prepare himself before dipping below the surface. He closes his eyes and lets out his breath, inhaling the icy black water in its place. But instinct forces him to jerk up and loudly cough, expelling it, as his body fights to breathe. He wheezes as his lungs scream in protest; more tears slip down his face. He’ll have to hold himself under somehow. He takes another couple deep breaths and sinks under again, down to the bottom of the stream. He digs his hands into the mud and exhales once again, starting to panic as water fills his lungs. He can’t help it; it’s such an awful, unnatural feeling. His body struggles to breathe, but inky freezing water surrounds him, unforgiving, yielding no air for his lungs.

A calm washes over Zykun. His body feels muted. His lungs ache, but it’s like his mind is removed from reality, looking on as a witness to his body’s suffering, but not feeling it. It’s better this way. He won’t be hurt any more. He won’t hurt anyone any more. He has nothing to live for any more... nothing. Not even the twins. They hate him. They’ll be glad when he’s gone. This is better for everyone. As he slips away, his final thoughts reflect on how fitting it is to die in the water. His flame will finally be put out.


	9. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger for a while, but I was SUPER busy and stressed with finals. I should be back on a fairly regular update schedule now that the semester's ended.

Awatok’s counting is interrupted by a loud cough, almost like hacking, from the river. He looks over suspiciously. Why would Zykun be coughing? He isn’t sick, and if he’s such a good swimmer... Awatok hesitates for several seconds that feel like ages, until finally he can’t convince himself that nothing is wrong. He has to go check, so he gets up and hurries to the riverbank.

For a moment, as he searches the empty dark, he thinks with a sinking heart that maybe Zykun was a traitor after all and ran off to give them up. But a short ways upstream he sees something much too large to be debris floating in the water, and despite his earlier unease and suspicion a shocked gasp escapes him. With a loud splash he stumbles into the water and rushes toward the floating object, bending the water to pull it closer. Another gasp leaves his lips as he realizes it’s Zykun. Frantically, he hooks his arms under the firebender’s armpits and heaves him to shore. With the man safely out of the water, he drops to his knees and pulls the water from his lungs as quickly as possible, out of breath from panic and the exertion of dragging a water-logged man around. Scattered thoughts race around in his mind as he waits to see Zykun breathe again. Why had he let him go to the river? He’d clearly been upset. But upset or no, what would possess the idiot to try drowning himself? Why do his eyes sting, and what keeps dripping onto Zykun’s face? He breathes a sigh of relief as the firebender finally coughs, his eyes fluttering open.

“Wh...” Zykun wheezes, trying to squeeze words out of his burning throat, “what...?” What happened? Is he dead? He frowns at the dark shape above him, then his stomach drops as he realizes it’s Awatok. What the hell? Did he save him?? Why?!

“What the hell was that?!” Awatok bursts before he can stop and think of a response, much to his own surprise, making the firebender flinch. He glares at Zykun, wiping his eyes as his vision gets blurry. He realizes the stinging is tears. But why is he crying? And why is he shouting? This all makes no sense. He takes a breath, trying to regain his composure.

“I’m sorry,” Zykun whispers. It hurts to talk. He doesn’t even know what he’s apologizing for, but Awatok’s mad and... crying? Why is he crying? Zykun must be mistaken. He’s delirious from almost dying, it’s dark, and they’re both soaked. Awatok can’t be crying. He hates him.

“Don’t talk,” Awatok advises. Or tries to. It comes out more like an angry yelp. He scoots back and stands, starts to pace, breathing slowly. He needs to calm down. This is foolish. How can he possibly figure out what happened if he just keeps shouting at an almost-drowning victim? He succeeds in part, dropping tiredly back to his knees again next to Zykun. He is still crying, to his great confusion and aggravation. His chest still feels tight, and all he wants to do is shake the stupid firebender until he promises never to go near a river again. But at least he can keep his voice level, and for now that’s enough, if it’s all he’s going to get.

“Why did you do that?” he asks slowly, each word taking concentration, “I thought you were dead.”

Zykun cowers from Awatok and squeezes his eyes shut, afraid that the waterbender might lash out. Upon hearing him kneel down, he cracks his eyes open and looks up at him. Why did he do it? He wanted to die. Though he doesn’t know if he should tell Awatok that. Then again... he supposes it doesn’t matter one way or the other. It’s not like it would cause his life to get any worse at this point.

“I... don’t want to live,” Zykun rasps. “You two hate me... I hate myself... I have no reason to live.”

Something cold twists itself up in Awatok’s gut as he hears to Zykun’s hoarse reply. While he doesn’t exactly wish death on them, he’s never met a firebender he wished life on either. Or, at least, he hadn’t. But as he looks at Zykun through still-watery eyes, he slowly realizes he wants a firebender to live. Just the one, and he doesn’t know why. He’s fairly sure by now Zykun isn’t a bad person, but he’s still one of them, and they can’t really be friends and he knows Kano hates him so he really should just cut himself off from the man. Leave him in some village and hope for the best. Leave him in that river where he wanted to be. But he can’t, because he wants Zykun to live. And now he knows the only way to make sure that happens is to keep him close, and try to keep him hopeful.

“I don’t hate you,” he says at length, “I don’t exactly know how I feel about you, but I don’t hate you.” He looks down, frowning. “I’m sorry. I know we haven’t treated you very well...” The silence drags on as Awatok trails off before finally Zykun breaks it.

“I... I can’t keep doing this,” the firebender whispers. “I thought if I ran away with you, then I could finally get away from my father... but... this is worse...” He gulps, trying not to completely break down, but he can’t stop the tears. “You’re nice to me sometimes and I get hopeful and think that maybe- maybe we can be friends, but then you turn and insult me or strike me down and- and your brother hurts me and I just- I can’t stay with you if you two keep- keep doing that, but I can’t leave because you’ll think I betrayed you and I don’t want that, and I- I figure that if I- I’m dead you’ll know that I d- didn’t turn you in an- and you wouldn’t have to worry about me any more...” He’s sobbing by now, barely able to talk through his tears.

Awatok watches his knees as he listens, guilt keeping him from looking up and risking meeting Zykun’s eyes. The cold twist in his gut tightens, and as Zykun comes to the end of his explanation he can’t help a passing thought that the firebender had come to a logical solution. Clenching his fists where they rest on his thighs, he frowns. He finally risks a glance up at Zykun’s rather pathetic sobbing, and he tries to tell himself it’s not his concern but even the attempt feels hollow. It’s irresponsible, and it will make life very difficult, and it will hurt Kano, and he shouldn’t shouldn’t shouldn’t accept Zykun just like that. But for the first time he can remember, the smart decision doesn’t feel right. Difficulty he can handle, and he’ll talk to Kano and make her understand, he’ll have to because he can’t bear to hurt her, but he can’t bear to torture Zykun like this either. Against his better judgment, he hesitantly reaches out to Zykun, first lightly touching his shoulder, then gently grasping it, and finally pulling him close into a loose, awkward, soppy hug. The firebender freezes when Awatok touches him, not sure how to react. He’s never been hugged like this before. It feels... rather nice, actually. Awatok’s warm, even through their wet clothes, and his hug is surprisingly comforting. Zykun returns the hug, awkwardly wrapping his arms around the other man’s torso.

“I’m sorry. Zykun, I’m sorry. D-don’t cry, okay?” Awatok whispers, his voice nervous in spite of himself, “Please? For... for a friend?”

“I- I can’t stop,” Zykun hiccups, burying his face in Awatok’s shoulder. Zykun knows tomorrow morning Awatok’s going to act like this never happened and turn on him yet again, but right now he’s going to take as much comfort as he can in the gesture.

“Well... okay... I guess.” Awatok blushes when Zykun returns the hug, and even more so when he tucks his face against Awatok’s shoulder. He’s not quite sure what to do with himself since he’s never been intimate like this with anyone, just sitting and holding them while they cry, except of course Kano. And this, this is palpably different from that. He can feel distinctly everywhere their bodies are in contact, because in each spot his skin is warm from Zykun’s heat and tingling in a way he hasn’t felt before. His heart is beating quickly and he suspects Zykun can hear it. It must be loud; Awatok can hear it pulsing in his own head. He is unsure of himself and rather wants Zykun to pull away so he can retreat from this strangely pleasant and altogether confusing warm tingling, but he can tell the firebender still needs comfort. Wrapping his arms tighter around him, he quietly watches over Zykun.

“I’m sorry,” the firebender whispers. As he manages to calm himself, he becomes aware of just how close they are. He flushes in embarrassment and is about to pull away when Awatok’s arms tighten around him, preventing him from doing so. He hiccups again wipes his tears away with a hand, blending them with the water still dripping from his hair. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess...” He’s so pathetic. He can’t do anything right. He can’t even kill himself right, and now Awatok is pretending to care about him and setting him up for another crushing disappointment again. He’ll always side with his twin, and Kano hates Zykun. He doesn’t know what to do.

“It’s pretty fair to be a mess right after trying to drown yourself,” Awatok replies, wavering between matter-of-fact and lighthearted. He started out wanting to make Zykun laugh and cheer up, but halfway through he realizes maybe now isn’t a good time, so he finishes in a different tone and then sighs at himself. He’s really off to a great start there with trying to be friends, isn’t he? Blushing even more and glad the night hides it, he reminds himself that this is why Kano always does the talking to new people. She’s the charming one, he’s the one who makes inappropriate jokes on accident. But in this case, he’ll have to make an exception, since in this little group he’s the only one around to be nice to Zykun. He just hopes his attempts to be nice work the way he wants.

“I’m sorry,” Zykun repeats in a whisper, gripping Awatok’s shirt and hugging him tighter. It feels amazing to hold someone like this and be held in return, but he knows it can’t last. Sooner or later Awatok will let go, they’ll go to bed, and then pretend this never happened in the morning. Things will go back to the way they were and Zykun will hate himself even more for showing such vulnerability to Awatok.

Inadvertent shivering sets in as a swift wind blows across the plain, cutting through Zykun’s wet clothing and chilling him to the bone. He’s freezing, but doesn’t want to say anything. He’s determined never to firebend more than a flame around the twins, and only then to light a campfire. He’d rather freeze to death.

Awatok feels Zykun start to shiver, a chill running through him too. The wind reminds him that they’re both soaked. He loosens his arms around Zykun and cautiously whispers, “You should let go now. We have to take off our clothes and dry off a little or we’ll get sick.” Though it’s only a practical matter, for their health, for some reason his suggestion makes his heartbeat pick up again. Odd. He gives Zykun a gentle, encouraging nudge and shivers as another gust of wind passes over them.

Zykun feels a warmth spread across his cheeks as Awatok suggests taking their clothes off and pulls away from the man. “Um, can’t you just- bend it dry?” he suggests, shivering again as the wind blows. He really doesn’t want to be naked in front of the waterbender, for numerous reasons.

Awatok quickly realizes what a better suggestion that is and chides himself for not thinking of it before suggesting they get naked. What was he thinking? “Um, yeah, you’re right.” He stands up, reaching down to help Zykun to his feet. The firebender accepts his help and stands still as Awatok bends the water back into the river. Awatok then offers him a small smile, wanting to somehow make Zykun look less forlorn. But maybe it’s too early for that. He needs more time still to prove to the firebender that he really does mean to be friends. No more switching sides; he’s going to try getting both sides to cooperate, if he can.

“Let’s go back to bed,” Zykun mumbles. He just wants to go to sleep and put this night behind him. He expects Awatok to act like it never happened in the morning and go back to pretending to be nice to him, then turning on him when Kano speaks up. Back to that endless cycle... maybe he’ll give it another day. Maybe Awatok will change. He highly doubts it.

Awatok nods in agreement. Maybe some rest will help sort things out. They’ll feel better in the morning, or, at least he hopes so. “You should bring your bedroll over here,” he calls quietly, enough to carry his voice without waking Kano. Though not wanting to be pushy, he doesn’t feel he can budge on this. He needs to have Zykun close, where he can see him and stop him from going back to the river if necessary. After all this, if the firebender really did drown... He shakes his head to clear away the thought, before the pit in his stomach grows too big.

“Why?" Zykun asks just as quietly, wanting desperately to view this as a gesture of friendship or acceptance, but knowing it's probably not. 

“Well, I just... we’re friends, right? There’s no reason for you to sleep over there by yourself.”

“We’re... friends?” Zykun asks after a pause. Since when? He’s still convinced that they hate him. He looks over into Awatok’s eyes, but sees no deceit. Is he being honest? Does he really want to be friends? Zykun tries not to get his hopes up, but it’s hard not to, what with the way Awatok’s acting.

Awatok nods, holding Zykun’s gaze. He doesn’t want any confusion about his answer. “We’re friends. You and me. I don’t know about Kano, but we’re going to see how it goes.” He takes a slow breath after he speaks, trying to calm his nerves. Saying it out loud makes his decision much more tangible, and even though he’d had no plans to change his mind, the tangibleness is making his stomach wobbly. Abruptly, he looks away. “Anyway... you should sleep.”

“Okay,” Zykun murmurs, dragging his bedroll a little bit closer to Awatok’s. He seems to genuinely want to be friends... but Zykun’s not so sure. He’ll just have to see how this plays out.

Awatok watches over Zykun as he moves closer and he sits down, wrapping his sleeping bag around himself to keep warm while he finishes his turn at being on watch. And he definitely doesn’t spend twenty distracted minutes staring at the back of Zykun’s head and wishing he would roll over so he could see his face instead. That doesn’t happen, not in the least. When he realizes what he was most certainly not doing, he blushes and steadfastly fixes his gaze on the nearest scraggly shrub.

It takes Zykun ages to get to sleep again. His mind is reeling and he’s afraid to go to sleep again, lest he be plagued by more nightmares. Despite his whirling thoughts, eventually sleep sinks into him and drags him down.

After a while, Kano’s awoken by her brother shaking her lightly and she sits up. “My turn for watch?” she asks as she sits up and stretches. “Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?”

“Actually, yes,” Awatok says, not sure where to start even though he spent ages bouncing around ideas, “I guess the short version would be, I decided to trust Zykun...” He holds his breath, watching her closely and fully expecting her to call him crazy and either yell at him or cry. Maybe both. Maybe something completely different. Emotions are unpredictable. He hates that about them.

“What? Why?” Kano frowns. What on earth could have happened to make Awatok trust that fire breathing bastard?

Encouraged by her calmness, Awatok forges on. “Well, so, he tried to drown himself because he’s miserable with us but he knew if he just left we’d think he betrayed us so he figured dying was the best idea,” he says, trying his best to portray Zykun’s sobbing explanation accurately, “And... anyway, I saved him, because... I did. And then he was just such a mess, and I really didn’t think it would be like that if he was only trying to rat us out?” He frowns, finishing on a question, because it’s suddenly difficult to place exactly what reasoning he has to trust Zykun. He shrugs, sighing. “I don’t know, Kano...I just get this feeling where I really want to protect him. I don’t know why.”

Kano stares at him, a slight frown on her face. Her twin isn’t making any sense. “So he tried to drown himself and that made you trust him? Why on earth did you save him? It would be better for everyone if he _had_ drowned.” She can’t believe Awatok saved him. They would be much better off without a damned firebender following them around, watching their every move, just waiting to turn them in.

“I know,” Awatok replies slowly, frowning and trying to make sense of what he wants to say, “I know it would’ve been better, but I couldn’t help it. I saw him floating and I... I had to save him.” He sighs, looking off into the distance for a moment before turning back to his twin. “He’s not like a firebender. Something... something about him just... I really think he’s not a bad person, Kano.”

Kano looks away, absentmindedly drawing a stream of water from the river to play with. She’s also noticed it, that Zykun’s not at all like other firebenders... she just hasn’t wanted to admit it to herself. She can’t get over the fact that he _is_ a firebender, personality or not. She can’t get over her hatred for the entire nation... but maybe she can get over her hatred for Zykun. Maybe she can stop projecting it onto Zykun and see him more as a person than a symbol of everything she despises.

“Maybe he’s not... but he’s still a firebender,” she says, manipulating the blob of water into the shape of a flame. “I can’t just _get over_ that fact.”

“Just give him a chance?” Awatok asked, “He’s still a firebender, and he’s still some spoiled rich boy... but he’s also kind. And sad. And a person, one who’s really struggling right now.” He reaches out and gently touches her forearm, hesitating to formulate more words. “And... we know what that feels like, Kano, to be lost and in pain. I don’t want to let someone else feel that way if I can help it, not when he might be a good friend. Even if he is a firebender... he’s the only firebender that’s ever looked at us like we were real people, and so why can’t we do the same for him?”

Kano looks at him, then glances at Zykun’s sleeping form. Awatok has a point and... maybe she has been a little too mean and irrational.

“I... guess you have a point,” she says hesitantly. “I’ll try to be nicer to him.” He _is_ the only firebender that ever treated them like fellow humans and even helped them. He gave everything up to aid their escape and she’s treating him like dirt. Now that she thinks about it... she feels really guilty. She’s no better than those damned guards at the farm.

Awatok smiles and hugs her tight. “Thank you, Kano,” he says, “I really... I think this is the right thing to do. I knew you’d understand.” After all, she’s super smart and super kind and his twin so how could she not? He just needed to explain it right, and thank goodness he had.

She hugs back, still a little wary about accepting Zykun, but she trusts her brother and he seems to think that this is a good idea, so she’ll go along with it.

“You should get some sleep. I’ll wake you in a few hours,” she says.

Awatok nods, hugging her just a moment longer before pulling back and laying down in his sleeping bag. “Goodnight,” he murmurs, contented enough by the recent turn of events that he falls right asleep.

“Night,” she quietly replies.

The rest of the night passes with little disturbance.


	10. Early Morning Talks

The twins switch watch shifts once more, so Awatok is awake when Zykun stirs, waking from another nightmare of burning alive. The sun is barely peeking above the horizon, tickling his half-open eyes. Trembling slightly in his sleeping bag, he’s determined not to cry again as he recovers from the fear. He takes a deep breath and repeats the phrase ‘it was just a dream’ to himself over and over in a whisper until he calms down, not caring if one or both of the twins hear him. It seems he’ll never be free of his father, not with all the distance in the world. He often had these kinds of dreams in the past, but never this badly. Maybe the guilt from leaving is making it worse... or maybe it’s how the twins have been treating him. Whatever the reason, they’re horrifying, and he doesn’t know how to make them go away.

While contemplating the sunrise, Awatok hears an odd whisper-muttering from Zykun’s sleeping bag. He has no idea what the words are, but he takes it as a sign that the firebender is awake. “Morning,” he says in his most casual tone, “hungry?” He hopes this will encourage Zykun to trust his offer of friendship from the previous night, but he also reminds himself to be patient. Zykun has every reason, and every right, to be suspicious, at least for now. But a man can hope, right?

Zykun’s whispering ceases when Awatok speaks up. A moment passes before the firebender responds. “A... a little.” He didn’t eat anything last night; he was too afraid to ask. His stomach growls loudly, betraying his true hunger. The events of the night before come flooding back as he sits up. Warily he looks up at Awatok, waiting for his reaction and wondering if he’s going to mention last night. The waterbender smiles at him and tries hard not to let his eyes wander any lower than Zykun’s face. They’ve had an annoying habit of that lately, and it’s probably time to put an end to it.

“I’ll get the fish ready,” he says, then adds slowly, hesitant to make Zykun sad again, “how are you feeling?”

How is he feeling? That’s a simple question with a complicated answer. He’s feeling cautiously optimistic, but knows that things are probably going to be just as bad as they were before. He’s unsure of himself and doesn’t know what to do now since apparently he can’t kill himself but doesn’t want to stay alive. He’s worried about what’s coming and what’s behind them.

“I’m fine.” He winces as he stretches. “I... don’t suppose you could heal my burn a little bit more?” he asks quietly. It’s starting to hurt again.

Already in the midst of digging out fish for two, Awatok looks up. “Oh, yeah, sure,” he says with all the eloquence in the world. He had almost forgotten about the burn after everything from last night. Four roasted fish in his hands, he walks over to Zykun and plops down at his side. He drops two fish into the firebender’s lap and leaves the other two in his own, then pulls some water from the river and gets to work. Zykun mutters a word of thanks and picks one up, nibbling on it. He’s famished, but at the same time doesn’t feel like eating. 

After a moment’s reflection, Awatok pauses his healing and transfers one fish from his lap into Zykun’s. He didn’t realize before, but he never saw the man have dinner, so he probably needs the extra food. “It looks a lot better than yesterday,” he comments of the wound, “Does it still hurt as much?”

Zykun glances at Awatok as he speaks up again and flushes ever so slightly. He’s acutely aware of how close the other man is, the slight waft of his breath against his skin, the feel of the glowing water soothing his burn... the waterbender’s scent...

“No, it’s getting better... but it still hurts a little,” he says awkwardly, looking away and trying not to betray his feelings.

“I’ll fix it soon,” Awatok assures, noting absently how well-defined the muscles are under the burn he’s healing. Almost as appealing as the muscles on Zykun’s chest... and abdomen... and what on earth is he thinking about all that for? He sighs heavily, frustrated, and shifts to a new position as if that will clear his head. Inadvertently, he is now even closer to Zykun. He notices the heat of the firebender’s thigh touching his, and it occurs to him that maybe he should move. He doesn’t and assures himself that the heat rushing to his cheeks is from the rising sun.

Zykun's face flushes as Awatok’s thigh lightly presses against his own. Wow, they’re... really close to one another. Why on earth does he care, though? It’s not like he likes him _that_ way... does he? Can guys even like other guys like that? He’s been with women before, but he never really felt anything like this with them. Certainly not anything one would describe as attraction. But this? These are the kinds of feelings that he read about in romance novels and heard about from other guys at school. A fluttering of the heart, blushing deeply, a yearning to be touched... could it be? Does he... _like_ Awatok?

Zykun’s stomach growls again, jerking him out of his thoughts and reminding him that he’s still hungry. He eats another piece of fish as he ponders these feelings and is suddenly aware of how long it’s been since either of them has said anything. The silence is getting awkward.

“Um... so how does healing with waterbending work?” he asks, attempting to keep his voice level so as not to betray his thoughts.

“What?” Awatok responds, raising his eyes to look at Zykun’s face. He did not hear the question, because his mind had been otherwise occupied. Without his permission, it kept drifting to thoughts of Zykun’s muscles, or Zykun’s lips, or how nice it had felt to hold Zykun last night and how nice it was sure to be if he held him again. He had thus been quite busy trying to quash these unbidden thoughts, and between fantasizing and quashing he wasn’t in any condition to hear the outside world. But after a moment he finally realized Zykun had spoken, so now he’s looked up. Hopefully the firebender won’t mind repeating himself.

“How can you heal with waterbending? Like... how does it work?” Zykun asks again, glancing over at Awatok and suddenly realizing just how close his face is to his own. Mere inches separate them, mere inches that could be closed with one swift movement... No, what is he thinking?! He can’t kiss Awatok! For one, he doesn’t even know if Awatok feels the same way about him, and second, Kano would probably kill him if he found out. Zykun quickly looks away again, now more flustered than ever.

“Well, it’s actually simple,” Awatok begins, glad for something to keep his errant mind busy. He blinks when Zykun looks away, trailing off with surprise. Why did he turn away so suddenly? he wonders, hoping he doesn’t have bad breath or something. That would be awful, Zykun thinking he smells bad, especially since Zykun smells so nice. Apprehensive, he asks, “Is something wrong? If you want some more personal space or something...” Embarrassment about potential bad breath aside, he really doesn’t want to move away. He likes being close and touching Zykun, even if it is only with his leg.

“Huh?” He glances back up at Awatok. “No, I- you’re fine... why do you ask?” He really doesn’t want Awatok to move away. Now that he’s thought about it, he’s come to the conclusion that he really _does_ like Awatok. He just doesn’t know what to do about it.

“Oh, just...you turned away all of a sudden, I thought...” Awatok begins, trailing off again with a nervous frown, “well, I’m not sure what I thought, actually. But it got me worried something was wrong.” He looks away, blushing and still frowning. Maybe if he just focuses on his work. He’s clearly making this awkward with his strange questions. He should leave Zykun be, and stop wondering when he’ll get another chance to hug him.

“No, nothing’s wrong.” Quite the opposite, actually. Maybe. “I’m just... a little flustered...” He glances at Awatok yet again, watching his reaction. Please don’t react badly, please don’t react badly, please don’t react badly...

Awatok looks up, failing quite soon in his ‘distract myself’ initiative. But he can’t help it, because Zykun has just said the most confusing thing. He must have heard wrong.

“Flustered?” he repeats uncertainly, “About what? I mean, people only get flustered around people they’re attr-....act-......um.” It occurs to him that maybe he didn’t hear wrong. If the thoughts he’s been having are attraction, and based on secondhand accounts it suddenly seems plausible, then it can’t be out of the realm of reality for a man to be attracted to a man, and maybe that’s what Zykun is talking about and if that’s the case then oh dear goodness this can’t be good.

“Um... yeah,” Zykun mumbles, looking down and fiddling with his hands. “Please don’t hate me...” He’s really worried that his little confession might screw up their newfound friendship and he _really_ doesn’t want that. “Just- you know what, forget I said anything.”

“I- uh, y-yeah, okay,” Awatok answers, looking away with a blush. He wants to say, don’t be worried I think I feel the same way maybe. But at the same time he doesn’t. He’s never heard of this happening, it’s not even supposed to be possible. Men love women and women love men and that’s just how the world works... right? But there’s clearly something between them, and it’s not just a budding and fragile friendship. He just isn’t ready to admit that it’s there, because it’s not supposed to be there. Why does Zykun keep turning everything on its head? Kind firebenders, men attracted to each other... next thing you know, he’s going to reveal a living Avatar and turn armadillo bears into people.

“...sorry,” Zykun whispers. He’s such an idiot. He shouldn’t have said anything and now things are going to be weird between them. He opens his mouth to say something, but Kano interrupts him with a cry of fear. She trembles and covers her face, starting to freak out. 

Awatok turns to Kano, the water he’d been bending abruptly dropping and splashing on the both of them. He doesn’t notice, instead scrambling over to his sister and pulling her close. The awkwardness with Zykun is utterly forgotten, at least for the moment, because all that matters right now is helping his twin.

“Kano, I’m here,” he murmurs, “Was it a nightmare?”

“Yeah,” she whispers, hugging her twin tightly. Another nightmare plagued her, the same nightmare she’s been having for years. At least Zykun’s face wasn’t in it this time. “I’m okay, I- I just need a sec.”

Zykun sighs softly and looks away. Even if Awatok did return his feelings and they somehow sorted things out and got together, Kano would still come first. Awatok will always go to his twin first. Zykun accepts that and doesn’t want to try and interfere with their dynamic, so he decides to just keep his feelings for Awatok locked away. He doesn’t have a chance with him anyways. There’s no point in trying. 

“Okay,” Awatok nods, holding her tight and gently rubbing her back, “Take all the time you need. There’s breakfast when you’re ready.” He waits patiently while she settles her mind after the nightmare. If only there was some way to keep her from having them... he’d give anything to take away her nightmares. But he can’t, so at least he can be there afterward. For as long as she needs. She’s his twin and his best friend, and the only one he can count on for anything; he’ll always be there for her.

Kano takes relief in her brother’s warmth and tranquility. She takes a deep breath and feels herself relax, the bad dream fading away like morning fog in sunlight.

“Thank you Awatok,” she murmurs. “You’re the best brother anyone could ask for.” She sits up and runs a hand through her hair. “So, fish for breakfast?”

“Fish for breakfast,” Awatok nods, shifting away to pick some up and hold them out to her, “This is the last of it, so we’ll have to catch some more later on today. Plus, we still have the rations and stuff from the town, if you wanted that instead.”

"Fish and bread sounds good. Thanks, Awatok."

Zykun watches them, envious of their relationship. He’s never been close to someone, at least not like that. He doesn’t have siblings and he hates his father. He had friends and even a few girlfriends at school, but none of them elicited feelings in him like Awatok does. With a sigh, he looks out over the river and finishes the fish Awatok gave him. He takes his bandage over to the river and rinses it out before rewrapping it around his burn. Thanks to Awatok it hurts a lot less now. He’s really grateful and hopes he can repay him for his kindness somehow.

Awatok looks around, trying to be subtle, to see where Zykun’s gotten off to. With Kano now soothed, he remembers the moment they’d almost been sharing and feels an odd sense of regret that it came to an abrupt end. Which is silly, he shouldn’t be having these feelings anyway.

“I think we should practice fighting,” Kano says as she munches on some fish, oblivious to the moment she had broken up. “It’s been four years since we have. Do you remember any of the forms mom taught us? I think I remember a couple.” She’s aching for a good workout. They need to remember their training, especially now that they’re on the run from the Fire Nation.

“Mmm... a few,” Awatok nods, “practicing does sound like a good idea.” He smiles and stands up, stretching. It will feel good to do something active other than plodding along in the desert or picking fruit. It’s been ages since he was able to really use his bending, and the small practical uses so far on their trip aren’t exactly the same.

Kano polishes off the fish and stands up with a grin. Without warning, she bends a long stream of water at him, pushing him back and absolutely soaking him. “You have to be on your toes!” She grins.

Awatok quickly regains his footing, laughing and playfully glaring at his twin. “You never said we’d started yet,” he retorted, bending his own stream of water from the river and trying to trip her with it. Kano jumps up, avoiding it, rips it from his grip, and bends it back at him.

“You have to be ready for anything!” she retorts.

Zykun looks over at the commotion after pulling his shirt back on. He watches them begin to spar and wonders if he should train too, but he’s not going to firebend around them. He supposes he could run through his forms without bending, or he could meditate. With a quick glance around, he spots a leaf on the ground from one of the trees and picks it up, remembering an old exercise the instructors had them do when they were young. He sits back down on the riverbank and burns a small hole in the center of the leaf. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep breath and concentrates on it, keeping the glowing edges of the hole from expanding. He can sense the embers even with his eyes closed and concentrates on his breathing. Power in firebending comes from the breath, so one must master proper breathing techniques to master the art. He rather likes this part of firebending since it involves little actual fire and is the most basic lesson. Feel the heat of the sun, breathe deeply, and keep the leaf from burning. He’s very good at it.

A few yards away, Awatok dashes around, quite frankly getting his butt kicked in their sparring match. But it doesn’t bother him; he’s glad just to be using his bending and getting some practice. Anyway, Kano was always the better fighter. He doesn’t have her reflexes or as much creativity in tweaking the forms to make unexpected attacks. Nonetheless, he gives it his all, and miserably fails with a grin on his face. 

“All right, all right!” he finally cries, soaking wet and getting out of breath, “you win, Kano. I’m beat.” He holds up both hands in defeat, chuckling and catching his breath.

“Ha HA!” Kano exclaims, pumping her fist in victory. “I triumph again!” She swings her arm around Awatok’s neck and ruffles his hair. “Victory over my baby brother!” She cackles and releases him, grinning widely. Both of them are soaked to the bone, which Kano fixes with a wave of her hands. She pulls water out of their hair and clothes and sends it back into the river.

“Want to work on some forms now? I think I remember a few,” she suggests. Even though sparring is fun, they need to work on the basics and see how many waterbending forms and moves they actually remember so they know where they stand after four years of barely bending at all.

Awatok resituates his hair once it’s dry again. “Yeah,” he nods to her suggestion, and reflects to see if he remembers any himself. After a moment, he starts doing the water whip, laughing a bit at the silliness of the form. But nonetheless it’s still useful and he’s glad he remembers it. Together they go through several forms like this, reacclimating to all their old practice. When they can’t remember any more he remarks, “I know there’s some we’re forgetting, but I think we’ve got a decent number to work with. At least for now. If there really is a resistance hiding near Ba Sing Se, I hope they have some waterbenders.”

“I suspect they do,” Kano says. She knows she’s getting her hopes up about the resistance, they don’t know if it’s even a real thing or not, but she can’t help it. This is the first time she’s had hope in a long while and she doesn’t want to let it go. “It would be nice to train with a master. Should we get going?” She looks over at Zykun, who’s sitting cross legged by the riverbank and holding something. She looks to Awatok. “What’s he doing?”

“I’m not sure,” Awatok admits, curiously looking over. He doesn’t know much, or really anything, about firebending beyond that it should be fled from. So of course he hasn’t the slightest idea what Zykun might be up to. He walks over, still watching the man curiously, and raises an eyebrow in confusion when he realizes he’s holding a leaf. What use would a leaf be? And he’s not even looking at it, just sitting there with closed eyes like he fell asleep upright or something. He only realizes the leaf is smoldering when he’s practically looking over Zykun’s shoulder. 

“What are you doing?” he asks suddenly, because he hasn’t been able to reason through it yet.

Zykun’s eyes fly open and he looks up at the twins, startled. He has only a moment before Kano douses him with water, knocking him back.

“No, it- stop!” he exclaims. “I- I wasn’t firebending!!”

“Liar!!” Kano exclaims, standing over him with water at the ready.

“I wasn’t!! Just- please listen!!”

“Okay,” Awatok says, glancing at his twin with a look that urged patience and holding out his hand to stop her. “We’re listening. What were you doing?” He speaks gently, not wanting to scare Zykun any more than Kano already has. He’s sure there’s a reasonable explanation, and it’s not as if a smoldering leaf is dangerous in the first place. Everything’s fine, it has to be fine, so he needs to give Zykun a chance to put Kano’s mind at ease. And reassure himself that he hasn’t made a mistake in trusting him.

“It’s just a meditation thing, I swear!” he exclaims, holding his arm up in defense. "It- the exercise is to make a smoldering hole in a leaf or piece of parchment or something and keep it from expanding. It teaches self-control and proper breathing. I- I figured you wouldn’t want me firebending so- so I thought that would be better!! Please don't hurt me-” He’s such an idiot. He should have known Kano would react this way. He never should have burned the leaf.

“Hmph.” Kano glances at her brother, who seems to believe him. “Fine.” She drops the water and steps back, away from the terrified firebender.

“That was a good idea,” Awatok says softly, extending a hand to help Zykun to his feet, “But maybe next time give us some warning if you’re going to do weird fire-meditation things. We’re... we don’t like fires, even little ones, catching us by surprise. Okay?” He smiles, to show that he’s not angry, and in truth he isn’t. He feels mostly relief, first that Zykun did have a good explanation and second that Kano didn’t hurt him. This is going to be more complicated than he’d hoped... but he’d sort of seen that coming.

Zykun gratefully takes Awatok’s hand and pulls himself up. “I’m sorry, I will from now on,” he says. He knows the guards at the farm used fire to subdue unruly prisoners, or even for no reason or just to intimidate them. “I completely understand.”

“Good.” Kano’s expression softens somewhat as she remembers what her brother said last night. As an apology, she draws the water out of his clothes and sends it back into the river.

“It’s okay,” Zykun responds quietly. “I should have told you what I was doing... but you seemed busy and I didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s not a bother,” Awatok assures quickly, smiling at Kano gratefully. He’s so glad she’s being a little nicer. Maybe there’s hope for the two of them getting along after all. And maybe if she and Zykun get along well, Kano won’t mind as much that he likes the firebender. And maybe someday would want to... never mind.

“Let’s pack up,” he suggests to them both, “It’s getting late in the morning already, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover before Ba Sing Se.”

“That’s for sure,” Zykun says as they walk back over to their bedrolls. He pulls out the map and lays it on the ground. “We’re all the way at the southern end of the continent. I’m thinking we follow this stream downriver until we meet up with the main river and follow that upstream as far as we can and keep heading north.”

Kano peers at the map over his shoulder. All of the little lines and markings are completely foreign to her. She’s glad that Zykun can read them. That way, they hopefully won’t get lost.

Awatok examines the map carefully, using what little he learned about map-reading from Zykun yesterday. He comes to the conclusion that, from what he can tell, Zykun’s idea is a good one. Besides, he clearly knows more about maps and must know more about the continent. They could hardly hope for a better guide.

“Yeah,” he nods, “Seems like a good plan. You can be our navigator, I guess.” He smiles at Zykun warmly.

Zykun sees the smile and a small one crosses his own face. They’re starting to trust him enough to let him navigate. “Thanks.”

“How do you know so much about maps?” Kano asks as they walk.

“I took a couple cartography classes in... school,” he says a little hesitantly. “I’ve always dreamed of running away, so I took an interest in map reading and making just in case I ever actually did.”

“Mm. Well, good thing for us. Awatok and I would be totally lost out here. I know I don’t know how to read a map.”

“Me, either,” Awatok nods, “We didn’t have any need for maps at home. It wasn’t a big island.” He half-laughs, the humor of the idea mixed with bad memories. And Zykun’s initial interest in maps doesn’t strike him as cheerful subject matter, either, so he forges ahead to other things. No use starting the day off gloomily, if he can help it.

“So, we make a good team, I guess. You can read maps, Kano and I can catch fish. Not a bad set of keeping-alive skills,” he says lightheartedly.

“Yeah,” Zykun says, his smile growing. He figures it best not to add another thing to that list, his ability to make campfires. No need to remind them about his bending, especially when they’re in a surprisingly good mood. He doesn’t want to ruin it.

“Who knows, this journey might be fun,” Kano says. “Or… we could get ambushed by the Fire Nation.” She points downstream where two riverboats slowly make their way upstream. “Fuck.” She looks around. There’s nothing but dry brush, burned trees, and dead grass as far as the eye can see. There’s no shelter. They’ll have to fight. Zykun looks nervously at the two, wondering if they’ll get mad at him for bending to defend himself. Well, he’s about to find out.


	11. Ambush!

Awatok frowns. Just when things were getting nice, the Fire Nation has to show up. He backs away a few steps, looking around. There’s no getting out of this one. “W-we should spread out,” he says, “So there’s more than one target. It’ll keep them distracted, I hope...”

By now the men have caught sight of them and two fireballs soar through the air. Awatok manages to deflect one by bending a swell of water out of the river. Zykun deals with the other, swiftly dispatching it with a strike.

“No, we’re stronger if we stick together and protect each other’s backs,” Kano says, drawing water from the river in preparation. “The boats are metal. Zykun, can you electrocute them?”

“I- I don’t know-”

“Well, try!!” she exclaims, narrowly dodging another fireball. Zykun takes a deep breath and lowers into his stance, beginning the form, concentrating on separating the positive and negative energies in the air around him and... and completely fails. With a large explosion, Zykun yelps and stumbles backward, clutching his hand.

“So much for that,” Kano hisses as the boats bump against the shore. A dozen firebenders pour out, advancing on the trio with fire and flame. 

Awatok yanks Zykun out of the way of another blast meant to take him down while he was recovering. “Be careful!” he hisses, worried. He doesn’t have time to worry about his tone being too harsh; there are more fireballs coming their way. There’s so many firebenders! How are the three of them supposed to take on a dozen people??

He crouches down to dodge a fireball, then bends some water from the river and tries wrapping it around one of the firebender’s legs to pull them off their feet, at the same time trying to keep an eye on Kano and Zykun in case they need defending. As good as he is at juggling numerous thoughts in his mind, he lacks the ability to keep track of multiple opponents and allies in such a flurry of motion. He misses the firebender and loses control of the water as he just barely scrambles out of the way of another attack, which Zykun blocks. 

Kano, on the other hand, excels in watching many enemies at once, and the outlook isn’t good. She deflects more attacks and quickly realizes that they’re going to be overrun if they don’t end this soon. She grits her teeth and flings her hands up, creating a giant wave that sweeps over half the firebenders, freezing them in a solid block of ice. She whips around, creating a large circle of water around herself, Awatok, and Zykun. Watery tentacles sprout up out of the main ring to deflect and block the still-incoming fireballs.

“Awatok, help me with the octopus!” she yells. “Zykun, get your ass in gear and kill these bastards!!”

“What? _Kill_ them??” he exclaims.

“Yes! How else do you think we’re going to get out of this alive?! Just _do it!!_ ”

Zykun looks around to see five of the remaining six circling around to surround them while the sixth goes to free the others from the ice. He takes a deep breath, now slightly more confident since Kano’s alright with him bending, and leaps out of the octopus ring. Figuring that the twins can deal with the other five (and fighting five people is better than twelve), he runs to intercept the man melting the ice, dodging, deflecting, and sending his own fireballs back at them on the way. 

Awatok hurries to help Kano, raising his arms and bolstering the octopus. He makes more tentacles, flinging them around and trying to knock over the encroaching firebenders, who wisely keep their distance and instead assault the ring with fire. He somehow manages to grab hold of one with a tentacle and fling him to the other side of the river, where he lands with a satisfying crunch and a poof of dust. 

Kano expands it with more river water and scoops up two of the firebenders, sending icicle spears at a third. One of the soldiers gets free and falls back to the ground, but she doesn’t let the other escape and swiftly dispatches him with an icicle to the heart. She lets him fall to the ground in time to barely blocks another attack. Throwing up a shield of water, she surges forward and transforms it into spear points, taking down another, which leaves two still attacking her.

Zykun has just knocked out the firebender who was trying to free his brethren when he notices the ice glowing from the inside. He barely has time to duck as it explodes, sending him skidding across the ground. The other six firebenders emerge and rush him, sending fireballs his way. Zykun spins his legs around, sending a large plume of fire at them, and flips to his feet, deftly blocking their attacks. He tries to back up but they surround him, tightening their circle and advancing on him.

“Come on now Zyk, we have you surrounded,” one says. “Your father would prefer you taken alive. Surrender now and we won’t hurt you... _much_.”

“I will never go back to him,” Zykun hisses. He feel his power rising within him as he thinks of his horrible father, what he did to him and the rest of the people on the farm, and what these men are trying to do. He’s never going back. With a cry he whips around, surging fire from his hands to form a giant tornado around him that engulfs the too slowly retreating men. Horrifying screams fill the air as they burn, unable to do anything to stop the young firebender.

From across the field, Kano freezes in horror. Her last ice spikes fall to water, releasing the last two bodies to slump to the ground. She can do nothing but stare at the enormous tornado and grip Awatok’s arm as she watches Zykun annihilate half a dozen men.

“What is that?” Awatok whispers, staring at it in fear and disbelief. It’s all he can do to keep himself from running away on instinct. How can this be coming from the same man who cried in his arms last night? He can’t seem to reconcile Zykun’s usual gentleness with the sheer power and ferocity he's displaying now.

“I don’t know,” Kano breathes, unable to look away, but so desperately wanting to, as it consumes the other firebenders in a torrent so hot they can feel the heat from a hundred feet away. It dies down after a couple moments that stretch on forever. Zykun is left standing amongst the charred corpses, shaking like a leaf. He’s never killed anyone before, and certainly not like _that_. He didn’t even know he could _do_ something like that! He looks up at the twins and his fears are confirmed: they saw the whole thing.

“Holy hell,” he whispers, squeezing his eyes shut to force back tears. He’s terrified right now, but he’s not quite sure of what. Of himself? Of the twins? Of what he can do? Maybe a little bit of everything. He can’t stop shaking.

Awatok hesitantly opens his eyes when he can no longer hear the roar of the fire, and he’s not sure what to think as he watches Zykun look up at them. The firebender looks almost as terrified as himself, and he’s torn between an urge to go hug Zykun until he stops shaking and the remaining urge to run far, far away with Kano. His muscles twitch, getting no clear message on which direction to move in. Finally he takes a step toward Zykun. He starts a second step, hesitates as Kano grabs him, then moves back beside her.

“Are you going to do that again if I walk close to you?” he calls over to the firebender. Trust or not, he can’t be sure. Zykun just... exploded. Who even knows if he was controlling it? If it’s some sort of horrifying firebender self-defense response, he doesn’t want to get close enough to trigger it until he’s sure Zykun is calm.

“No,” Zykun whispers, shaking his head. The he realizes they probably can’t hear him from this distance. “No,” he repeats a bit louder. “No, I’m in control. I- I knew exactly what I was- what I was doing, I just- I’ve never killed before...” He hiccups a little and presses a hand to his mouth, then migrates it to his forehead as he forces himself to regulate his breathing.

Kano draws a large amount of water from the river as Awatok takes a step towards the firebender, ready to douse Zykun if he tries anything. She hesitantly takes a step forward, following her brother, water at the ready. Her whole body is tense, ready to strike at the slightest hint of aggression.

They slowly approach Zykun, step by step. He can tell Kano is still on edge and he himself feels shaky, though he’s not visibly shaking. But it’s not Zykun’s fault, not really. He tries to keep calm by reminding himself that Zykun really is gentle. He only did that because he had to. When Awatok’s close enough, he gingerly lays a hand on the firebender’s shoulder and winces reflexively in case of impending fire tornado. But when nothing happens, he sighs in relief and says, “it’s hard...but, sometimes, you have to do that. They were going to kill you if you didn’t. So... don’t be too hard on yourself...” 

Zykun shakes his head. “No, they- they weren’t. They were going to do something much worse... they were going to bring me back to my father,” he whispers, not looking up at the twins yet. “I’m sorry I scared you. I guess that was a little over the top... I just... panicked.” His hand starts to throb as his adrenaline fades, replaced with pain. When the lightning exploded his hand was burned , and now he’s feeling it. 

Awatok notices the burn as Zykun looks down at it and before he realizes it, he’s taken a bit of water from Kano’s arsenal and lifted Zykun’s hand into his. He bends the water and starts to heal the burn. When he does finally notice what he’s doing, he blushes a bit. Maybe if he doesn’t mention it, suddenly grabbing Zykun’s hand like this won’t be awkward. Zykun flushes slightly at the sudden physical contact and briefly glances up at the waterbender.

“The way your father is, panicking makes sense,” he says, trying to distract from his actions, “so I guess... it’s okay. Just, try to not do that again, please.”

“At least, not unless absolutely necessary,” Kano adds. “Power like that could come in handy.” As much as it terrified her, she has to admit that it _was_ damn powerful and some of the most amazing bending she’s ever seen. It’s a shame that Zykun is a firebender and not a water- or earthbender.

“I promise,” Zykun says with a nod, glancing between the twins. He knew he was a powerful bender, but he didn’t realize he was _this_ powerful. Frankly, it frightens him that he’s able to kill six people at once like that... but Kano’s right: power like this may come in handy if they get into another sticky situation.

A sudden flash of movement behind the twins yanks Zykun out of his thoughts and he reacts instantly, shoving them out of the way. He moves to block the incoming fireball, but Kano, unaware of the threat and still on edge, binds Zykun’s hands with ice. A fireball whips past her head and connects squarely with the crevice between Zykun’s collarbone and jawline. He shrieks and collapses, writhing in pain.

Kano gasps and spins around, blood running cold as she realized what happened. She blocks another incoming fireball and yells at Awatok to help Zykun before taking off towards the firebender. Furiously she hurls icicles at him, who deflects and melts them. Luckily for Kano his back is to the river, and she uses that to her advantage. Keeping him distracted with attacks from the front, she swells the river behind him, forming jagged spikes that burst through his chest with a flick of her hand. She looks around to see if any others are still alive and upon confirming that they’re not, turns and hurries back to the other two.

“Is he okay?” she asks, feeling strangely guilty. Zykun would have been fine if she hadn’t assumed the worst and restrained him.

“I think so...” Awatok answers without looking up, “Or... h- he will be.” He’s already done some healing, having started as soon as he realized what was happening, but the wound is still bad after such a direct hit from a fireball. A large, red burn stretches from his jawline down to his collarbone and shoulder. His hands are shaking slightly as he bends, his worry for Zykun almost overwhelming. How did this happen? He thought they’d killed all the firebenders, but... but... this was awful! What if his healing isn’t enough? What if there’s permanent damage? What if Zykun doesn’t make it? Awatok shuts his eyes for a moment, waiting for a sudden wave of nausea to pass.

Kano feels his panic and nausea and kneels down beside him, gently placing her hands over her twin’s to steady them. “The burn’s new and you got to it right away,” Kano softly reassures him. “You’ve always been a better healer than me. I know you can do this. He’s going to be fine.”

“Y-you’re right,” Awatok nods, opening his eyes and taking a deep breath, “He’s going to be fine... it’s already better than before, it’s going to be fine.” He continues murmuring to himself, trying to stay calm. If he panics he’ll be no help at all. He has to keep a clear head. Thank goodness Kano is here; she’s always been a soothing force for him, just like he is for her. With another deep breath, his hands finally steady, he resumes his efforts until finally, after what seems like ages, the swelling and cracking of the skin fades. He’s fixed the worst of it and his energy is waning, but he keeps at it stubbornly. Kano leaves her hand resting lightly on Awatok’s back until he’s finished healing Zykun for the time being. She knows it comforts him, just as it would comfort her if their situations were reversed.

Zykun starts to breathe more easily as the pain fades and he cracks his eyes open, looking at the twins. They both look concerned. Maybe there is hope that they can be friends after all.

Awatok smiles when Zykun opens his eyes, finally pulling his hands away and slumping tiredly against Kano. “Hi. Do you feel okay? I tried my best, but it’s going to be a long time yet, that was a bad burn...” He pauses a moment, then adds, “also don’t move yet. We have to bandage it and then we can see if you’re okay to travel. So just rest a bit. You’re going to be okay.” There’s still concern in his tone, but also immense relief. The scary part is over, he reminds himself, now he just needs to look after the patient and make sure nothing gets worse.

Zykun tries to talk, falters, clears his throat with a slight wince, and tries again. “Thank you,” he whispers, not sure if he can or should fully talk yet.

After a pause, Kano speaks up. “I’m sorry. This... this is my fault. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. You were just trying to protect us and I didn’t realize it. I... assumed the worst and you got hurt. I’m sorry.” She can’t believe she’s apologizing like this to a _firebender_ of all people, but she knows Zykun isn’t just any old firebender. Maybe he is trustworthy, or at the very least not worthy of her rage. All he’s done is try to help them, even back in the farm, and now he’s suffering because of it. He could have easily surrendered to the other firebenders or not protected them from the ambush or turned on them in so many different ways, but he didn’t. He’s stuck with them, even through all the shit she’s done to him, and now he even almost gave his life for them.

Zykun looks up at Kano, surprised that he’s apologizing. He didn’t expect him to show any sympathy towards him, much less regret. “Apology accepted,” he whispers, a smile tugging at a corner of his mouth.

Awatok watches their exchange with happy surprise. Kano has really come around, much sooner than he expected. But, really, how could she not? Zykun’s more than proven himself by now, especially after defending them like that. And Awatok is so glad Kano can trust Zykun a little bit now, because it will make their traveling party much more cohesive, which will help if they’re attacked again. And being able to spend time with Zykun without upsetting Kano is an even more enticing result, though he doesn’t quite want to admit that.

“Thanks, Kano,” he whispers to her, squeezing her hand, “I know that’s not easy.”

She nods a little and stands up. “I’ll get some bandages.” She walks over to their hastily dropped packs and rummages around for the cloth and burn cream they got. Even though they can heal with their bending, it’s nice to have a remedy that can work during the times they’re not. She takes both items back over to Zykun and Awatok and sets about gently rubbing the cream on Zykun’s neck, followed by the bandages. She feels she owes him at least that much.

After a while, Zykun’s feeling well enough to finally sit up. He gently touches the bandages and takes a deep breath. “Thank you,” he says, looking at the twins.

Awatok smiles at him. “You’re welcome. It’s the least we could do,” he says quietly, gently patting Zykun’s shoulder, careful not to touch any of the part that’s burned. “Does talking feel okay? If it hurts, you shouldn’t do it...” It occurs to him that Zykun knows that already; after all, it’s pretty obvious. But for some reason he can’t stop himself from saying it. It’s that same strange protective urge that came from nowhere. He still doesn’t quite understand it. He barely knows Zykun, but he can’t help it. Emotions are so hard to control.

“No, it’s fine,” he says. His voice is a little raspy, but other than that, he’s not in too much pain when he speaks. It’s easily bearable. “We should move on.”

“You sure you’re okay to walk?” Kano asks. Zykun starts to nod, stops, and speaks his confirmation instead.

“Yeah, I’m good to walk. I dunno about fighting, though... let’s hope we don’t get attacked again today.”

“Let’s hope,” Awatok sighs. He stands up, reaching down to help Zykun to his feet. “I’ll carry your pack for today. If we do get attacked, just stay close to me and Kano. We’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?” Zykun asks.

“Of course,” Kano says, “we can more than protect you.” It seems kind of ironic to her that she’s saying that, since it’s her fault he was so badly injured in the first place. “Anyway, let’s go.”

“Hang on,” Zykun says as they pass by the riverboats. “Why don’t we just take one of those?”

“Ride in their riverboat?” Awatok confirms, frowning. The idea makes him uneasy, but it would make traveling easier. That is, if they can successfully drive one. “Do you know how to drive them?” He glances at Kano, seeing what she thinks. It’s a practical idea, and it would probably give them some cover in case more patrols come after them. But still...

“Well, not really,” Zykun admits, “but I can’t imagine it would be very complicated.” He glances at the twins and Kano shrugs.

“Seems like a good enough idea,” she says. “We can always waterbend the boat around and I like the idea of not walking. And I’m sure Zykun does too.”

“Okay, fair enough.” Awatok nods, heading toward the riverboat. He climbs into it and sets down the two packs he’s been carrying, then starts to poke around at the controls. As Zykun supposed, it isn’t too complicated, and soon enough he’s figured out how to work it. As the others climb in, he says, “So, you’re right. It’s easy enough. If we waterbend a little, we can even make it go faster.”

“I’ll get us off the shore,” Kano says, walking out onto the deck. She swells the river around the boat, picking it up off the shore and maneuvering it out onto the river. This will make their travel a lot faster.


	12. On the Water

Once they’re in the river, Awatok gets the motor going. The riverboat chugs along slowly and he smiles. “This is actually a nice way to travel. We’ll be a lot less tired by nightfall. Maybe we could even sleep inside while it keeps moving,” he suggests. He relaxes in his seat and smiles at Zykun. He wonders if Kano wants him to go out on the deck and help, but he’s still pretty worn out from the fight, so he decides he’ll wait and see if she asks. Though it looks like she’s having fun by herself.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Zykun says with a small smile, leaning against a wall. He’s suddenly very aware of how little space there is in the cabin and how alone they are. Sure, Kano’s right outside, but everything seems so muffled and secluded inside the small metal and wooden box that is the cabin. He looks out the window and nervously fiddles with his hands, very quickly remembering that one of them is still burned from his failed lightning bending earlier in the day. He looks down at it and experimentally flexes his fingers, wincing slightly at the pain.

Awatok notices Zykun’s fidgeting and glances at the man’s hands. “Oh, your hand. I almost forgot. Here, hang on.” He bends over to grab his satchel and digs out the burn cream Kano had used earlier. He scoops some onto his fingers, then takes Zykun’s hand and starts gently rubbing the cream onto his burn. He slowly blushes, turning his face down to keep the firebender from seeing. It’s nothing, he tells himself, he’s just putting on burn cream. This has nothing to do with the strange feelings he has for the man.

“There, that should... be better. Let me find some bandages for it,” he says softly, turning to grab them and accidentally bumping his leg into Zykun’s. “Sorry,” he stammers, abruptly pulling back.

Zykun blushes slightly as the waterbender tends to his burn, then extremely deeply when he inadvertently makes quite a lot of physical contact with him. He steps back and his heel bumps against the cabin wall.

“No, um, it’s alright,” he says, extremely flustered.

“Anyway... here,” Awatok says, holding out some bandages toward Zykun. He doesn’t move to put them on, lest he do something horribly embarrassing again. With a furtive, shy glance, he notices that Zykun is blushing too. Against his will, his mind supplies the thought that Zykun is rather adorable when he blushes. Swallowing, he quickly looks away.

Zykun glances up at Awatok to see a noticeable red tint in his cheeks. Is he... blushing? Why is he blushing? Could he... have feelings towards himself? The firebender gets hopefully optimistic about the whole situation, especially now that he realizes he _does_ have a crush on the waterbender. Is it possible that Awatok reciprocates his feelings? Zykun decides to test his reaction to contact again and, with a word of thanks, reaches out to take the bandages. He brushes his fingers against Awatok’s, leaving them there for a moment longer than necessary, watching closely for his reaction.

Awatok’s cheeks turn a tinge darker at the lingering touch, and his eyes fix on their hands for a moment. Why did Zykun take so long to take the bandages? It couldn’t have been on purpose, right? He means, sure, Zykun has feelings for him... he’s pretty sure anyway, based on earlier. But the firebender had said to forget the whole thing; what’s he doing now lingering touches? Doesn’t he know Awatok is trying to forget his own feelings? He’s making it so difficult, with his warm hands and handsome face.

Zykun takes the bandages, wondering if he should say something. Should he ask Awatok about it? Maybe... but maybe not. He doesn’t want to freak him out, especially not when things are finally starting to turn around. He decides against saying anything and looks down, clumsily attempting to wrap the bandages with one hand. He quickly realizes he’s not going to get anywhere, especially since his dominant hand was the one burned.

“Um... sorry... could you help me with this?” he nervously asks.

“Oh... yeah, sure,” Awatok says hesitantly, taking the bandages and slowly wrapping them around Zykun’s hand. He is torn between trying to tell Zykun how he’s feeling and simply running out onto the deck with Kano to hide. But maybe it’s better to say something. Then at least Zykun will know to give him some space while he deals with all these unfortunate feelings. So it’s not a confession or anything, just an advisory. That makes sense; that way it seems much less frightening.

As he finishes and sets the bandages aside, his cheeks still flushed, he says slowly, “you’re very handsome, Zykun. It’s making me... confused.”

Zykun looks up at him, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “What do you mean?” Is it possible that the waterbender he adores may in fact return his feelings? It’s almost too good to be true. Try as he might to not get his hopes up, they still raise.

“I don’t know, exactly.” Awatok shrugs, not meeting Zykun’s eyes, “I don’t think I’m supposed to like seeing a man shirtless as much as I like seeing you shirtless, is all. You’re confusing. And... and I think I’ve gotten you all confused too, so we’ll just have to fix that, I guess.” He meets the firebender’s eyes for just a moment, uncertainty flashing through his own. They weren’t supposed to feel like this, he knew. So why did it feel so unpleasant talking about getting rid of these feelings? “Because... that’s the right thing to do. Right?”

“I... I don’t know.” Zykun looks away, pondering the situation. He takes a deep breath and spits his feelings out before he can decide whether or not it’s a good idea. “I realize that I have a crush on you and denying that would hurt a lot and even though guys aren’t supposed to like each other I guess I do really like you and denying that can’t be the right thing to do because people always say that denying your feelings is bad, especially when romance is the subject and so I can’t see how it’d be good or right to reject these kinds of feelings?” he says rapidly, wincing slightly at the end and closing his eyes, waiting for retribution, for yelling, for pain, for anything associated with disagreeing with someone. He doesn’t know how Awatok will react and truthfully, he's a little scared.

Awatok doesn’t say anything at first. He mulls over Zykun’s words, his stomach fluttering nervously. He’s also heard that denying your feelings isn’t healthy, but all the same... he’s never, ever seen two men with each other romantically. It can’t be natural. Even though if it isn’t natural, it wouldn’t make sense that it was happening now, and it’s clearly happening now. But what are they going to do? There isn’t any model for how to act, and what would other people think? And to top it off, he’s a waterbender and Zykun a firebender! A match like that could never work out... could it?

“I guess... you have a point,” he finally says slowly.

Zykun opens his eyes and glances up at Awatok, once again slightly hopeful. “You... you think so?” he asks cautiously. Maybe there is a chance they could be together... but then what? Kano certainly wouldn’t approve and he doesn’t know what they’d even do. He just knows that he finds Awatok extremely attractive and wants to be more than just friends... but will it even work out? He’s filled with doubt. They’re literally polar opposites, fire and water, and come from radically different backgrounds. Could a match like them ever work out?

“I think I think so,” Awatok nods slowly, blushing and not sure what to say. “But... what does that mean? If we both have feelings, and we don’t pretend we don’t, wouldn’t we have to... do... something?”

“I dunno, I mean, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable...” Zykun blushes at the thought. “And your brother... I mean... he probably wouldn’t approve...” He really doesn’t want to make Kano mad, especially right after he finally stopped hating him.

“No, he wouldn’t,” Awatok agrees with a sigh, “I don’t want to make him mad at you, after you just started getting along...” He meets Zykun’s eyes, holding his gaze searchingly. If only Zykun could give a solution... trying to think of one is making his head spin. All he wants to do is lean closer and wrap his arms around Zykun and let what happens happen, but worry and uncertainty hold him back. This is a big decision and it won’t do to be reckless.

Zykun stares into Awatok’s ice blue eyes, searching for an answer. He desperately wants to hug Awatok like he did the night before, but he doesn’t want to do anything to make the waterbender uncomfortable or drive him away. He starts to say something when suddenly there’s a loud THUMP on the roof and a laugh. Apparently Kano is having a lot of fun experimenting with waterbending the boat around. Zykun winces and throws his hands up, which in turn makes his burn throb painfully.

Awatok jumps at the sound, surprised. “Oh, it’s just Kano,” he murmurs, then looks back at Zykun. What had he been about to say? He notices a trace of pain on Zykun’s face that distracts him from his wonderings and frowns.

“What hurts? Is it your burn? You should keep your hands down, you know, until it heals,” he admonishes, taking hold of Zykun’s forearms and pulling them gently, but firmly down to rest at Zykun’s sides. With the space being so small, and Zykun being already backed into the wall, he’s in effect almost pinning the firebender down, though accidentally.

Zykun’s neck throbs dully as Awatok lowers his arms. His back presses against the cold steel of the cabin wall, a stark contrast to the warmth of the waterbender’s hands on his bare skin.

“S- sorry,” Zykun stammers softly, “It’s a, um, an involuntary reaction...” He can feel the heat rise in his cheeks and imagines they must be beet red. He’s acutely aware of how close the other bender is to himself and longs for nothing more than to reach out and embrace him, but is scared not only to make a move and break his grip on his arms, but also how Awatok might react to it.

“Oh, right,” Awatok whispers, Zykun’s deep blush making him realize the intimacy of their position. Heat rises to his cheeks and prickles all over his skin, especially in his hands where they’re touching the firebender. The air between them is tense and warm, holding him back from moving away.

Slowly, because he feels that any sudden motion might break whatever fragile substance in the air is keeping them close, he releases one of Zykun’s arms and grazes his hand upward to the man’s unburned shoulder. Resting it there almost like an anchor, he leans through the tiny space between them and gingerly presses his lips to Zykun’s. He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping the world doesn’t suddenly implode and worrying how Zykun will react.

What is he doing? He’s- oh no. He’s coming closer and- holy shit. Zykun’s mind goes blank as Awatok kisses him gently, his tender lips sparking against his own. It takes him a moment to fully realize what’s happening and yet another to respond. He gently pushes back, his skin tingling everywhere Awatok touches him. He decides to take a chance and lightly rests his free hand on Awatok’s hip, praying that the waterbender won’t react badly. Even through the cloth it feels sharp and defined, yet pleasantly fits his hand.

Awatok feels his chest lighten when Zykun returns his kiss, relief coursing through him. Just like he’d thought from looking at them, his lips are soft, but their warmth is somehow a surprise. He isn’t sure what to do now, but he knows he wants to feel more of this warmth, more of Zykun. As he is scrambling in his mind for a next step, he feels Zykun’s hand on his hip. He freezes, his heartbeat quickening, but slowly relaxes because this touch is sending waves of tingling warmth through him. Hesitantly, wanting to share that feeling with Zykun, he moves his hand down from the firebender’s shoulder toward his hip, but his hand gets distracted by the firm, defined muscles of Zykun’s chest and rests there, curiously tracing their shape.

Zykun feels him tense and barely pulls away, opening his eyes to look up at Awatok. The man’s a couple inches taller than he, a detail Zykun reflects on as he inspects his face for a reaction. Did he do something wrong? Apparently not, as Awatok’s hand slowly slides down to linger on his chest, sending electrifying pulses through him with each of his heartbeats that reverberate against the waterbender’s hand. His whole body feels warm and tingly, like a hot bath. Unable to stop himself, a soft whimper escapes him as Awatok’s thumb brushes over the sensitive bud under his shirt, sending electricity racing through him. He’s never felt anything like this before, not even when he coupled with women. They touched him, sure, but never like this. They never elicited this reaction from his body. It’s indescribable.

Awatok startles when he hears Zykun whimper. He opens his eyes and holds his hand still, studying Zykun’s face with concern even as his body cries out for him to keep touching the man. It was delightful, but apparently he’s messed it up somehow.

“Did I hurt you? I- is it your burn again?” he whispers.

“Huh? Oh, no,” Zykun mumbles. “Y- you’re good...” Very good, in fact. His hand slowly creeps around Awatok’s waist and pauses to rest in the small of his back. Zykun can feel his muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt. He slowly explores the man’s spine, feeling each vertebrae in turn.

“Oh, really? I was, um, conce- oh,” Awatok murmurs, his reply disrupted by his response to Zykun’s explorations. His mind wobbles, slowly overwhelmed by the building sensation from the small threads of pleasure each fingertip-touch creates. He finds himself compelled to kiss the man again, and this time with much more passion, his hand clutching at the fabric of Zykun’s shirt where it had come to rest. A soft moan escapes him, and though he wonders what it is and where it came from, his fevered mind is too distracted to turn wondering into concern.

Zykun murmurs wordlessly, slowly working his way up the man’s spine, exploring every vertebrae, every crest and valley, until his hand rests at the base of Awatok’s neck. He gently caresses the tan skin with his thumb. It’s hard to think right now; his mind feels slow and cloudy, muted by strange sensations. All he cares about is touching this man and being touched by him.

Awatok shivers as Zykun caresses his neck, the sensation almost like a tickle but infinitely nicer. His hand releases Zykun’s shirt and slowly traces its way downward. He runs his fingers over every curve of muscle, taking a very slow journey down to the firebender’s hip, then lingers a moment. He can’t decide what to do next, his mind is buzzing with possibilities and mysteriously lacking its usual reasoning power. At what he thinks is a signal from Zykun, he moves his hand around behind the man, slowly slipping it down to cup the curve of his butt. Is this okay? He has no idea, but he hopes so.

Zykun bites his lip as Awatok slowly runs his hand down his chest and exhales softly, eyelids fluttering from the amazing sensations produced by the man’s soft touch. When he pauses at his hip, Zykun grips the collar of his shirt, urging him on. But whatever he was expecting the waterbender to do, it wasn’t this. He gasps and jumps a little as Awatok caresses him, blushing furiously at the contact.

Awatok stiffens at Zykun’s reaction, brows knitting together in confusion. He meets his eyes and asks softly, “What’s wrong? Is this not okay? I can stop, I just...” He holds his breath as he waits for an answer, nerves starting to kick in. What on earth is he doing? This is definitely reckless, and foolish, and... and so, so wonderful.

“No, no, don’t stop,” Zykun murmurs, his hand releasing Awatok’s shirt and lightly gripping his neck instead. He laces the fingers of his other hand with the waterbender’s, squeezing his hand lightly. His breath comes in short bursts and his heart feels like it’s about to burst from his chest. Is this what love feels like? Could his crush be something more than just that? He doesn’t see why not... and damn if Awatok’s not incredibly attractive. He’s perfect in Zykun’s eyes. He’s tender and sweet and very soft, very caring. Zykun never wants to stop touching him.

Carefully he moves closer and pushes his lips against Awatok’s, this time being the first to initiate. Kissing him is like nothing he’s ever experienced. He’s so warm and soft, so comforting. He feels safe in Awatok’s arms, safe from harm and danger and pain. He’s a healer, an amazing one at that, not a harmer. Zykun can’t think of anyone more perfect.

Awatok starts to ask, “are you sure,” but the words never quite leave his mouth; Zykun’s kiss dissolves them. It’s answer enough, he decides, relaxing again into the tender contact. He squeezes the firebender’s hand gently, his other hand cautiously exploring the curves and planes of his body. His heartbeat hammers inside him and he swears he can hear an echo of that same heartbeat coming from Zykun. He presses closer until he can feel them both reverberate through his chest. He can hardly keep his thoughts straight, but for once he doesn’t mind. It’s an exquisite sort of insanity, this feeling of wholeness when he holds Zykun close that all the same can’t put a stop to the desperate need for more. More and more until they become inseparable, and he can spend forever with this man in his arms. This kind, gentle, powerful, beautiful, fragile man... he’s never felt like this for anyone, and he can’t imagine it will happen again with anyone else.

Zykun squeezes Awatok’s hand before letting go and moving to wrap his arm around the waterbender’s neck, but makes a small sound of protest as his burn stings when he tries to raise his arm. Instead, he chooses to slip his arm around Awatok’s waist to pull him closer, pressing their warm bodies together. His head is light with joy and the world is spinning around them, the only stable thing being Awatok in his arms. He wishes he could hold him like this forever.

At length, Awatok breaks the kiss, though he doesn’t move away. He takes a breath, having been not quite sure how to keep enough air in his lungs with his lips attached to Zykun’s, and then chuckles quietly. With a smile, he whispers, “If we’re not supposed to do that, people must not know how nice it is.” He circles his arm around Zykun’s waist, his other hand absently fiddling with the tips of the firebender’s hair, and then presses another quick kiss to Zykun’s lips. He just can’t get enough of this.

Zykun gasps as Awatok gently pulls back, also forgetting to breathe during the kiss. “Y- yeah,” he whispers. He’s about to say something else, but is cut off by Awatok moving in for another kiss, which he readily returns. After a few moments he breaks it, but doesn’t move away, instead leaning his forehead on Awatok’s. “You’re amazing,” he breathes.

Awatok is still grinning like a fool, and he nuzzles his nose against Zykun’s when the man rests their foreheads together. “You’re the amazing one,” he whispers, “I can’t believe how amazing you are. Are you sure you’re real? Because you don’t make sense, but... I like that. I like you.” He blushes, knowing he’s rambling and hoping Zykun doesn’t get upset about being accused of making no sense. He didn’t mean it in a bad way, he just can’t make sense of the man, in a wonderful sort of way. Like how a rainbow on a clear day with no rain wouldn’t make sense.

Zykun blushes deeply as the other man compliments him. “I’m pretty sure I’m real,” he says with a slight smile. “If I wasn’t... how could I be here? I am still trying to wrap my head around all of this... I... I’m quite surprised you actually like me... I didn’t expect that...” He expected to be rebuked, but when Awatok started to show signs of interest, he couldn’t help himself and took a big risk, and now he’s overjoyed he did. Standing here in his arms like this feels amazing. He runs a hand down Awatok’s back to join his other one at the waterbender’s waist.

“I didn’t expect it, either,” Awatok admits, “Any of this. When you said... or sort of said, you were interested in me, I didn’t know what to think. I thought maybe we’d both just gone a little crazy from stress, or something.” He pauses, trying to collect his thoughts. He doesn’t remember what exactly convinced him otherwise, what made him go so suddenly from pretending he felt nothing for the man to holding him close and kissing him until they both ran out of air. Now that it’s happened, though, he knows he can’t go back to pretending. Not that he wants to.

“It seems like I was wrong, though. I was missing an important piece of evidence,” he says softly.

“An important piece of evidence?” Zykun echoes, wondering what he means. He looks into Awatok’s eyes and almost doesn’t hear his answer after getting lost in their sparkling blue depths.

“Yeah...about how good it felt to do this,” Awatok explains, leaning in and kissing Zykun again. He runs his hand through the man’s hair, letting the kiss stretch out, soft and sweet.

Zykun moans softly, melting into the kiss. Awatok’s hand feels amazing brushing through his hair. Every movement tingles against his scalp. He never thought something so mundane could feel so good. Come to think of it, this is the first time anyone has even touched his head in such a manner. It’s truly fantastic. He reciprocates a hand through Awatok’s hair and pulls him closer, then nearly jumps out of his skin as a loud _bang_ echoes from the cabin roof. He yanks his hands back and his blood runs cold as Kano calls down from above. 

“Awatok, could I speak with you a moment?” Kano knows very well what they were doing, judging from the feelings emanating from her twin and what dialogue she could pick up. They weren’t being as quiet as they thought they were and she grew tired of listening to their murmurings.

Awatok jumps at the sound of Kano’s voice and pulls away from the firebender, taking a step back. It vaguely occurs to him through his sudden fear that her voice has never before caused such a reaction in him. But at the moment he can’t help it - if she found out what they’d been doing... His stomach turns cold just at the thought. He’s really messed up now. Why did he have to go and be so reckless?


	13. Progression

Fear runs through Awatok as he stands up. “I’ll be back,” he says quickly to Zykun before rushing out of the cabin. As he climbs up to join Kano, hoping the color has left his cheeks, he calls to her, “yeah Kano? What is it?” Zykun leans against the cabin wall, hoping dearly that Kano doesn’t know what they were doing. If he ever finds out... well, he’ll probably kill him.

“Do you think we should stock up on fish? I believe we’re running low.” She’s sitting crosslegged on the roof, gently bending the water around the boat to steer it. “I think there are a bunch in the river. I’ve been feeling them swim by every so often.”

“Yeah, um, I think we need more. I’ll grab a few, then,” Awatok says, heaving an internal sigh of relief. Kano’s not mad at him. Or maybe she doesn’t know what they were doing in the cabin. He’s not sure which he would prefer more. 

Awatok steps over to the edge of the boat and looks down into the water. “Oh, you’re right, there’s tons of them. That’s lucky.” He bends a blob of water up out of the river, carrying four fish inside, and carefully drops it onto the boat with a small splash. He makes sure to put it in the center so the fish can’t flop overboard. He very pointedly does not look over at Kano, afraid that if he does she’ll somehow sense what he was up to. Instead, he decides to distract them both with small talk.

“I’ve been thinking, next time we go through a forest, we should try to pick some herbs. That way we can make more creams and salves ourselves. We won’t have to buy them, which will save us the trouble of being seen by townsfolk.”

“Do you know which herbs can be used for what?” Kano asks as she jumps down off the roof. She freezes the fish onto the deck and adds her own to the mix. “Because I sure don’t. I wouldn’t want to make some salve from a poisonous plant.”

“I know one or two,” Awatok says, “But I guess that’s not many. Maybe we should buy a guide book first, then get herbs?” He adds several more fish to the pile, following Kano’s example and freezing them where they land.

“Good idea,” Kano says. “I wonder where the next town is. Where’s the map? Is it in Zykun’s pack?” She glances up at Awatok to gauge his reaction to mentioning Zykun.

“Zykun’s pack? Maybe, I don’t know. That would make sense,” Awatok replies, willing himself not to blush and almost succeeding. He pulls up a few more fish, freezes them, and sits down across from Kano, “No rush, though. I’ll go ask him for it later, you know, whenever.” Inwardly, he crosses his fingers and hopes his attempts to be casual are successful.

“Whenever,” she echoes, smiling knowingly. She can read Awatok like a book.

“When should we stop for lunch?” she asks, changing the subject. She looks up at the sun, estimating that it’s roughly noon. She’s starting to get hungry and they just caught all these fresh fish that need cooking.

Awatok follows her gaze. “Probably soon. I’m getting hungry.” He looks around to see if there’s any nice spot for stopping, but everything looks mostly the same all around. Burned and open. “We could just eat on the boat, I think. If we cooked the fish up here, we could all sit and eat and still be traveling.”

Kano nods, liking the idea of continuing to travel while eating. “We don’t have any wood, though... unless...” She glances at the cabin, then back to Awatok. “Do you really want him firebending on the boat?” Even though she agreed not to be mean to Zykun, she still doesn’t like fire or firebending and gets anxious around it.

“If it’s up here, it’ll be okay,” Awatok says, “We have plenty of water to douse him and the fire with if we need to...” He knows she’s anxious, and he is too. But he’d rather deal with the firebending and keep moving than let them be sitting ducks again for an ambush. Besides, Zykun would never hurt them, not on purpose, and he seems to have control over his bending.

“I’ll go with your judgement. I trust you, and if you really trust him enough to let him... y’know, then alright. We’ll see how it goes. But I won’t hesitate to douse him if he makes a wrong move.”

In the cabin, Zykun can hear them perfectly, but he’s decide to say nothing until they speak to him first. He flexes his hand to try and relieve the pain from his newest burns, small ovals on his wrist. He’s such an idiot. He doesn’t know how Awatok feels now or if he regrets what they did in the cabin. He probably does. Zykun just can’t do anything right, can he. He’s always been useless like that and now he’s ruined something good. The only good thing that’s happened to him in a long while.

He bites his lip and takes a deep breath to calm down. Thinking like that won’t do any good. What’s done is done, and now it’s up to Awatok to decide if they have any kind of future together. Zykun won’t mention it again until Awatok brings it up.

“Okay. I’ll just go get him, then,” Awatok says with a thin smile, standing up. He’s not sure he wants to see Zykun again, but being hesitant to go bring him up would only look suspicious. What is he going to do? He can’t keep this up with the firebender, it’s like betraying his twin. But, Zykun is so wonderful, and _so_ attractive. How is he going to stop himself, especially now that they’ve already opened the floodgates?

He walks back into the cabin, blushing and avoiding Zykun’s eyes. “Can you come out? We have to cook some fish, and so if you could use your bending that would be nice...”

Zykun looks up as Awatok walks in. “I... yeah, I can,” he says, standing up. He realizes that this is a very big step for them to allow him to use his bending, especially in front of them, and he promises himself he won’t mess this up. He’s always been in control of his bending and this is a simple task. As he follows Awatok out of the cabin, he tugs his sleeve down so the twins hopefully won’t see the red, blistery marks scattered across his wrist.

On the deck Kano’s spearing the fish on sticks for easier cooking. She looks up as the two walk out of the cabin. Zykun looks miserable.

“Hey, cheer up fire boy,” she says lightheartedly, trying to get a smile out of him, but Zykun’s not sure if he means that as an insult, especially considering his hatred of fire.

Awatok knows that Kano intends the comment kindly, and he almost explains this to Zykun. But then he wonders if such a gesture would reveal what had happened between them, and he reconsiders. Of course, it doesn’t exactly make logical sense, it’s really only a friendly gesture, but something in him stops his reassurance, too afraid to risk discovery.

“Thanks for helping out,” he says awkwardly instead, sitting down and helping Kano spear fish. He still can’t bring himself to look directly at Zykun, just stealing sideways glances and hoping no one notices. Because he’s catching only glimpses, he doesn’t notice how Zykun holds his wrist close to his body as if hiding it, or else he would surely have called the man on it.

Kano holds out a speared fish to Zykun, who accepts it.

“I’ve never cooked with my firebending before,” he says a little hesitantly. “I was planning to learn, but I didn’t have time or, like, any way to, so... it might take a couple before I really get the hang of it...”

“That’s fine,” Kano reassures him, “it’s not like we’re in any hurry and there are plenty of fish.”

A smile tugs at the corners of Zykun’s mouth, but it never fully forms. “Alright... yeah, you two are really good fishers.”

“We had a lot of time to practice, at home,” Awatok says, glancing at Zykun again shyly, “So there’s, like... a special technique to cooking with your bending?” He glances at Kano next, pleasantly surprised at how nice she’s being to Zykun. Things were working out so well with them all being friends. It was almost perfect. Almost, he sighed.

“I don’t know,” Zykun replies, “no one ever talks about cooking with bending. I could end up not cooking it all the way through or accidentally burning it or only cooking part of it.” He looks at the fish, spinning it idly. He glances between the twins. “You’re sure you want me bending? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable...”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Kano says, but she shifts nervously as she says it. Maybe being around a very nonthreatening firebender will help diminish her fear of them. “It’s fine.”

“We’ll be okay, don’t worry,” Awatok adds, poking at the fish he’d just speared. He notices Kano shifting and scoots closer to her. He sets down the fish and reaches over to squeeze her hand. “We’ve got the water right here,” he reminds her gently, understanding her fear.

Zykun nods a little. They’re surrounded by water, so they feel more comfortable letting him firebend. It makes sense. He holds the fish steady and conjures fire from nothing, spinning it around the fish. He figures the best way to cook it is even heat on all sides.

Kano twitches a little and tightly grips Awatok’s hand when Zykun starts to bend. She draws a thin stream of water from the river to calm herself. Zykun warily looks at it, wondering if she’s going to douse him.

Awatok watches Zykun closely for any sign of accidental loss of control, occasionally looking over to Kano. He doesn’t feel her getting ready for an attack, which is always a good sign. He smiles, despite being nervous about the whole situation, because he’s so happy Kano is handling this well. Maybe, if she can get over her fear of fire a little bit, she can start to get better. Stop having so many nightmares. He hopes.

Zykun pulls the fire away after a few minutes to inspect the fish. “How do I tell when it’s done?” he asks.

“Give it here,” Kano says, reaching over for it. Zykun reaches out with his left arm to hand it over, as it hurts to move his right one. In doing so, he inadvertently puts his newest burns out in the open for both of them to see. Awatok notices them and frowns. Why didn’t Zykun say anything about them? Does he not want him to help him? Why wouldn’t he want that? It occurs to him that maybe Zykun is angry with him for running away so quickly. Great, now he’s in it with both of them. Why on earth did he kiss the firebender?? Kano also notices, but doesn’t remark on them as she takes the fish, experimentally touching it. “It seems done.” She fishes her knife out of her pack and carves into it. "It looks like the middle is still raw. Keep going. Good first try though." She hands the fish back and gives him a small, encouraging smile. Zykun returns the smile, his spirits lifted slightly by the waterbender’s kind words. He surrounds the fish with fire for another minute or so, then gives it back.

“How’s it now?” he asks. Kano slices off a piece.

“Perfect,” she replies.

Awatok nabs the piece Kano had sliced off and pops it in his mouth. “You two are a good team, at cooking,” he observes, hoping to encourage more of their getting along.

“Hey!” Kano exclaims as Awatok steals her fish. “That was mine!” She lightly smacks the back of his head in a playful gesture of mock anger. Zykun smiles at them as he takes another raw fish and starts cooking it.

“Aw, come on, Kano,” Awatok chuckles, smiling at her. He teases, “We’re twins, we share everything, right?” He’s missed this, being able to just joke and tease lightheartedly with her. It’s been ages since they were both so relaxed. Not even being nervous about the situation with Zykun can keep him from grinning.

“You can have the rest of that one,” he says with an air of mock philanthropy, “I’ll wait for the next fish.” Kano laughs and sticks out her tongue at him as she slices off another strip.

“You want fish? Here!” She lays it across his nose. Zykun finds it odd how Kano has such a girly laugh. It's quite different than Awatok's, even though their voices sound almost the same.

Awatok laughs, tilting his head around trying to knock the fish into his mouth without using his hands. Finally, though, he gives up and picks it up. As he pops it into his mouth, still smiling, he says, “Ah, the sweet taste of victory.”

“Mm-hmm,” Kano hums in agreement as she eats a strip of fish. “Want some?” she asks Zykun around a mouthful of food, offering him a strip. Zykun nods, winces, and takes it.

“Thank you,” he says as he accepts it.

“Oh, here,” Awatok says, reaching over and taking Zykun’s hand. “Hold still.” He pulls some water up from the river and sets about healing the man’s wrist. He wills himself not to blush at the contact with Zykun, focusing instead on healing.

Zykun's smile vanishes as Awatok takes his wrist and starts to heal it. Color drains from his face and fear washes over him, fear that Awatok figured out where the new burns came from. He should have been more careful, he should have hidden them better. Zykun only hopes that Awatok doesn’t realize their origin.

“Can’t believe I missed these before,” Awatok says thoughtfully, “I’ve gotta be more careful.” He looks up at Zykun’s face, shocked at how pale he’s gotten. He frowns and pulls his hands away, oblivious to the true reason for Zykun’s reaction. “Sorry, I... um. I’ll ask next time,” he says. Zykun must be upset about being touched. He really is angry, then. Awatok sighs, looking away and tossing the water aside.

Kano frowns as Zykun hastily withdraws his hand and looks down, focusing instead on cooking the next fish. Is he trembling?

“Zykun, are you okay?” she asks. Zykun nods, then falters as pain blasts through his neck and shoulder.

“I’m fine,” he whispers, not trusting himself to speak without his voice wavering. “I’m sorry. I’m fine.”

Kano glances at Awatok, not sure what to do about the firebender’s strange behavior. Awatok frowns. Why is Zykun trembling like that? It seems way out of proportion to being upset with Awatok for freaking out earlier. Something is up, and he has no idea what. He meets Kano’s eyes when she glances at him, his own expression just as unsure as hers.

“Are your burns bothering you?” he asks the firebender, “M-maybe the one on your shoulder...? If it’s okay with you, I could work on them some more. If that’s what’s bothering you...”

Zykun takes a deep breath, forcing back tears. He’s in the worst situation possible, trapped here on this tiny boat with no privacy to regain composure and the two of them depending on him to cook the fish. He can’t leave, he can’t take a minute to calm down. If they press him for answers he can’t tell them why he’s feeling like this or he risks Kano’s anger should he find out about what happened in the cabin. Zykun just can’t do anything right, can he.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” he insists. “Here, I think this one’s done.” He stretches out his right hand to give it to them, taking the pain in his clavicle over showing them the self-inflicted burns again. He grabs the next one and sets about working on it.

Awatok takes the fish, still frowning. He wants to talk to Zykun about what’s wrong, but it seems clear that the firebender doesn’t want to. He decides not to pressure him. He’s messed things up between them enough already.

“Here, can I have the knife, Kano?” he asks as he turns to his twin. If they leave him alone a minute, maybe Zykun will get back to normal.

“Sure.” She hands Awatok the knife and looks away from the firebender, still wondering what’s up with him. She didn’t notice those burns on his wrist before they got on the boat... so where’d they come from?

Zykun closes his eyes and focuses on breathing and feeling the fire around the fish. It begins to calm him down.

Awatok slowly slices the fish, taking his sweet time with it in order to avoid looking up at Zykun. When he’s finished, he eats a slice and hands a few to Kano, then hesitantly offers the rest of the slices to Zykun. “Here, you should eat a bit,” he says, noticing that the firebender looks more calm and hoping this doesn’t set him off again.

“Thanks,” Zykun says quietly, handing the cooked fish to him in exchange for some slices. He once again uses his right arm, keeping his left close to his side. The burns on his shoulder throb painfully, but he doesn’t care. He deserves it, one way or another. He eats a slice of fish, then sets the rest aside and starts working on the next one. He’s not very hungry, even though he’s barely had anything to eat all day.

Awatok sighs, slicing the next cooked fish in moody silence. Zykun is acting so strangely! He hasn’t been this strange since right before he tried to drown himself in the river. What is going on? He shakes his head to clear it. He’ll just have to wait until they’re alone again, then maybe he can get the firebender to open up. Until then, he shouldn’t worry, because it won’t help anyone. Determined to ignore his natural worrying instinct, he turns back to Kano.

“When we stop in the next town, we should get spices, too. We could make our meals more interesting that way.”

“Didn’t we get salt at the last place?” She grabs her pack and digs through it. “Ah, yeah, here we go.” She pulls out a small pouch. “Sprinkle some of that on the fish. It should help.” Taking a piece of fish, she tries it. “Mm, much better. But I agree, we should get some other spices too. We can actually cook for real again. Man, it’s been so long...”

“I wonder if I can remember any recipes from back home,” Awatok says thoughtfully, trying to recall them, “Do we have enough money for vegetables to go with the spices?” Aside from fish-only dishes, he can think of a few delicious stews and grilled skewers. Just the idea of real cooked meals makes his mouth water. He sprinkles some salt on his fish, smiling at the much improved taste, and dreamily imagines how great it will be after they go shopping.

“We have a little bit left,” Zykun says. “Probably enough to get vegetables.”

Kano looks over at him and, surprisingly enough, feels a little guilty for making him pay for everything. Beside the fact that he’s the only one with actual money, it still seems unfair.

“We could look for work,” she suggests. “Do some labor or something, get paid, and move on?”

“Maybe,” Awatok agrees, “But we’d run the risk of getting recognized, and being in one place for too long.” Still, with only a little money left and all of it coming from Zykun, it only seems fair to make their own. He eats a few more pieces of fish, then sighs. It’s the best choice, even if it is dangerous.

“But we can’t really afford to run out of money, even out in the wilderness. So we’ll have to look for work in the next town.”

“We won’t stay long,” Kano says, guessing what her twin is thinking. He’s always worrying about everything. “Maybe the word hasn’t spread this far yet.”

Zykun’s about to speak up and contradict him, then thinks better of it. He doesn’t want to get on Kano’s bad side again.

“We could find some jobs, work for a few days, and then move on,” she suggests.

“Okay, that sounds good.” Awatok nods, glancing at Zykun. It seems like he’d been about to say something. Is he worried, too? It’s a rare moment that someone is worrying as much as him about something. Curious, he asks, “What do you think, Zykun?” Maybe the firebender will have an idea that’s less dangerous than working in town. Or maybe they’ll just get into a short argument that ends back where they are right now. He hopes it’s the first one.

“I think it’s a good plan,” Zykun says. “The money I have isn’t endless, after all. It does help that we don’t have to buy food, but still... yeah,” he trails off, not knowing how to end his sentence. He doesn’t want to upset the twins accidentally, as he figures he’s still on thin ice with the two.

Kano nods. “Do you know where the next town is?”

“It shouldn’t be too far along... it’s situated in the fork where this river joins up with the main one. We’ll need to go right by it to start heading upstream on the main river. But three people in civilian clothes on a military boat might draw unwanted attention, especially if there’s a military presence in the next town, which I’m not sure of, so we’ll either need to ditch the boat or sail around it at night and hope we don’t get noticed.”

Awatok nods along to Zykun’s plan. “I’d rather not leave the boat. It’s awful convenient. So we should try sailing around the town at night. We’ll have to hide it somewhere while we’re working in town, though...”

Hiding a boat this size might be difficult, he knows, but keeping it will make the trip to Ba Sing Se much shorter. The sooner they get somewhere secure, the better, so he’ll have to deal with the risk.

“We might reach there after nightfall, so we could sail around to the other side, park and hide the boat, then walk back to the village,” Zykun suggests.

“Sounds like a plan,” Kano says, leaning against the railing and munching on some fish. “This is much better than walking for sure.”

Awatok nods agreement, smiling at Kano. She’s so relaxed. He’s glad to see her like that, especially after the last few years. He munches on his own fish, thoughtful.

“That’ll also make it seem like we’re traveling the opposite direction,” he muses, “So if anyone alerts the military about us, it’ll throw them off track. Good idea.” He smiles at Zykun, but then blushes and looks away again.

“Oh yeah! Like we’re headed toward the ocean,” Kano says. “Perfect.” She looks around. “Oh, look, we’re back in a forested area.” Trees are starting to grow back along the riverbanks, tiny little saplings pushing up past the burned trunks of their elders. Zykun smiles and looks over the side of the boat.

“I do love the forest,” he says half to himself.

“It’s beautiful,” Awatok sighs happily, looking around at all the trees. Hearing Zykun’s comment, he asks the others, “What’s your favorite thing about the forest?” While he’s most interested in the firebender’s answer, because he probably already knows his twin’s response, he asks them both to keep from being awkward.

“I guess the... freedom of it,” Zykun answers, “the wildness. The animals are starting to come back and it’s just so... alive.” He smiles. “It’s amazing how quickly nature can regrow. I... I’m so sorry for what my people did to the world.” He looks down, once again ashamed for what he is.

Awatok frowns. “Well, but it’s like you said. The world will recover,” he says gently, “We’ll all heal from this, someday.” He isn’t totally confident that the people of their world will heal and recover, unless they can escape the control of the Fire Nation. But the forests, at least, will get better. That much he knows. And that’s enough for hope. He doesn’t share all these thoughts with Zykun because his worries won’t help the firebender feel better. He wants Zykun to cheer up. It’s awful watching him hate himself like this.

“Yeah,” Zykun says quietly, toying with the fish he just finished cooking.

“Speaking of healing, how’re your burns?” Kano asks.

“Well... I mean, they still hurt, but they’re not bad...” Truthfully the one on his neck hurts quite a lot. It stings and throbs every time he moves, or even talks. But he can handle it and doesn’t want to seem needy to them.

“I can work on them some more after lunch,” Awatok offers, “We’ve got plenty of time. So, just finish up the fish and then I’ll do some healing.” He smiles at Zykun, still hoping to cheer him up.

Zykun nods, wincing again, and looks up at Awatok. He sees his smile and can’t help but return it, albeit a smaller one.

“Alright,” he says, handing the cooked fish to Kano to slice up and taking the next one, engulfing it in fire. He cooks the rest of them and the three feast.

Awatok sighs contentedly once he’s finished, enjoying the feeling of a truly full stomach. “Nice cooking,” he says to Zykun, then gets up to stretch his muscles a bit. Once he’s stretched and energized, he takes some water from the river and sits down beside Zykun, ready to heal. “Could you take your shirt off, please?” he asks, focusing all his energy on not blushing.

Zykun accepts the praise with a thanks and watches Awatok as he stretches, admiring his figure from behind. Kano takes notice, but says nothing. She walks to the front of the boat to give the two privacy and to practice her waterbending.

“I, um, I might need your help getting it off... I don’t know if I can raise my right arm,” Zykun says hesitantly. Even though a large chunk of the fabric burned away from the fire blast that caused his wound, he would still have to move his arm to get it off.

“Oh, uh, all right,” Awatok says, failing not to blush this time. After a glance at Kano, he sets aside the water and reaches over to help Zykun out of his shirt. Why did she go to the front of the boat? He has a sinking feeling that she’s starting to notice what’s going on between him and Zykun. He pushes this worry away and finds himself distracted again. Zykun’s chest is now bare and only a few inches away. The shirt is still warm in his hands as he puts it aside and he can’t help wanting to touch the skin that made it warm like that. He clears his throat and gets the water again. He has healing to do; he needs to focus.

“Thanks,” Zykun says quietly as he removes the bandages, wincing a little as they peel from his raw, red skin.

“We should find you new bandages,” Awatok suggests, frowning. “These are drying onto your skin.” Once the bandages are off, he gently begins healing the worst part of the shoulder burn. Zykun sighs with relief as the healing takes effect and the pain vanishes.

“Oh that feels good,” he exhales, closing his eyes. “You’re an amazing healer, Awatok. I wish I could heal like you can... hell, I wish I could heal at all.”

“It’s not so amazing,” Awatok says modestly. But he’s glad to see how much better Zykun’s feeling already. “You could heal with plants and salves, like non-benders. It doesn’t have to be this kind of healing.”

“But this kind of healing is part of waterbending,” Zykun replies with a forlorn sigh. “I would give anything to be a waterbender.” He wishes every day that he could be free of this fiery curse, but he knows that’s impossible. It’s part of who he is and he can’t change it.

Awatok thinks this over, slowly frowning. “Zykun, you don’t need to be a waterbender,” he says, “You’re great the way you are. You’re kind, and generous, and gentle. Being a firebender doesn’t make any of that go away, you know.”

“It makes me a monster,” Zykun retorts. “I may be those other things you said,” probably not though, “but I’m still a monster. All I do is destroy.” Destroy and hurt people. That’s all he can do and that’s all his people have ever done.

“Cooking lunch isn’t destruction,” Awatok points out after thinking for a moment. It’s a small thing, sure, but he can’t exactly deny that fire is a destructive force. That firebenders have spent the last century and more using their power to terrorize and harm his people and other people all over the world. He can’t say Zykun is wrong, but something about this particular firebender makes him doubt that you can call someone a monster just for being able to bend fire. So if he has to counter everything they both know with a silly observation about cooking, he’ll take the hit to logic.

“No, I guess not...” He supposes cooking isn’t destructive. “But it doesn’t negate everything else. I killed six men at once today. Tell me that’s not a destructive use of my bending.” He glances up at Awatok. Shame and despair lie just behind the gold circles that look into Awatok’s own.

The waterbender meets his eyes, his heart wrenching at what he sees behind their surface. For a long time he stays silent, wanting more than anything to make that shame and despair disappear and not knowing how to do so. What can he say?

At long last, he looks away. “I’ve killed people, too, Zykun. Even water can destroy. Your bending doesn’t make you who you are,” he says quietly.

Zykun looks down. “It’s a large part of who I am,” he says quietly. “It’s something I can never get rid of. It’s a curse. All of the bending disciplines can be used constructively, except fire.”

Awatok sighs, moving his hands down to the less severe burn on Zykun’s upper arm. “Nonsense,” he says, “you can use it to cook and sustain life. We’d be cold and unhappy without campfires. It’s a necessary force in life. You just need to think creatively.” He pauses before continuing, “but you don’t have to use it to destroy. I don’t want to say you should never use your bending, but... if it bothers you so much...”

“I try to use it as little as possible already but... at the same time I also really like using it. I like going through my forms and working out and feeling the exhilaration that comes with bending. I... I’m so at war with myself because of it... I don’t know what to do.” He curls his left hand into a tight fist and looks at his burns. “That’s part of why I focus so much on self control. I like firebending, but I don’t want to unintentionally hurt anyone or anything.” He sighs. “My father never cared about control, though. He only saw how powerful I am and wanted to exploit me for it. He forced me to train ridiculously hard with multiple tutors to explore more of what I’m capable of doing with my bending. Many of them, along with teachers at my school, have said they see great power in me, called me a prodigy, expected more of me than anyone else...” He blinks and realizes how long he’s been talking. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling. You probably don’t care about any of this... I’m sorry. I don’t want to seem narcissistic.”

Awatok had been listening closely and when Zykun apologizes he shakes his head and smiles gently. “Don’t worry. It’s obvious you’re powerful, I’ve seen myself what you can do. And I think it’s...” He trails off briefly, trying to find just the right word. “It’s admirable,” he continues, “that you work so hard on self control. You could be a tyrant, Zykun, and you choose a different path. You should be proud.” He chuckles and adds teasingly, “even if it is a little narcissistic.”

Zykun glances up at Awatok, then away, pondering his words. He could have been a tyrant... He could have easily used his power to subdue and rule over others. But he didn’t. He focused on self-control to avoid accidentally hurting anyone and never attempted to use it to control others.

“I... suppose you’re right.”

“I am right,” Awatok says confidently, “I can see you’re a good person, whether you believe me or not.” It feels strange being so pushy, but he wants Zykun to know that he’s good. It feels very important. Even if it takes a long time to convince him, Awatok decides he can’t afford to be subtle about his opinion.

Zykun looks up at him again, this time holding his gaze. “You really think so? I... I mean...” he looks down, “even though my father enslaved you, your brother, and a ton of other people? How can you not hate me?”

“Your father enslaved us,” Awatok replies, leaving off his healing a moment to reach over and squeeze Zykun’s hand. “You were kind to us, as much as you could be. And you helped us escape. What reason do I have to hate you?”

Zykun looks down at Awatok’s hand and blushes a little as he squeezes back. “I dunno... your brother hates me,” he reasons. “I’ve always tried to help people... I guess I’m trying to make up for what my people have done in small, stupid gestures. I helped you escape, sure, but I’ve only been a hindrance to you now.”

“Kano’s warming up to you,” Awatok confides, “And you’ve been helping. During the fight, you helped. And you cooked our fish. Kano can see that. He’s not going to hate you forever.” He smiles subconsciously at Zykun’s blush. The firebender is so adorable sometimes.

“I hope not,” Zykun says, lacing his fingers with Awatok’s. “I just want to redeem myself to... well, I guess the world. Everyone hates firebenders.” Including himself.

“Well, you’re off to a good start,” Awatok says, blushing as Zykun laces their fingers together. He meets the firebender’s golden eyes, holding his gaze. Everyone does hate firebenders, he has to admit. He certainly does, and they’d given him no reason to change his mind until now. A few days ago, he wouldn’t have believed he’d be encouraging one of them, but here he is. If only they could change the firebenders, make all of them like Zykun...

“I guess...” he says quietly, meeting Awatok’s gaze. He was going to say something else, but his voice leaves him as he’s lost in the waterbender’s pale blue eyes, as pale as ice, though the comparison stops there. His eyes are warm and full of life, just like the rest of him. Zykun feels like he could stare into his eyes for eternity.

Awatok nods slowly, though he can’t remember exactly what he’s nodding about. There’s something about the way Zykun looks at him that makes his mind fuzzy and sends energy buzzing through him. Before even noticing, he’s leaning toward Zykun’s lips.

With a jerk, he stops himself and moves away a few inches. What was he thinking? Kano is right there on the bow, barely ten feet away. He must be going crazy, to try something like that here where she could turn around and see. And Zykun probably didn’t even want him to, after how he acted before. As his panic subsides, he studies the firebender for signs of disgust or distress, hoping he hasn’t messed things up even more.

Zykun suddenly realizes Awatok is getting closer and starts to move forward to meet him, but stops when the waterbender suddenly jerks away. He glances up at Awatok, then retreats back and looks away. He cringes slightly as his head turns, irritating his burn, and pulls his hand free from the other man’s. He feels like an idiot, thinking Awatok would want to kiss him again. Why on earth would he want to do that? Considering the sudden and awkward ending to whatever they had going on in the cabin, he doesn’t blame him for not wanting to. His burn stings painfully, but he doesn’t want to seem needy and ask Awatok for more healing, so he says nothing and instead fiddles with his hands.

Awatok frowns. Zykun looks embarrassed more than anything. That makes no sense - he should be the one embarrassed, for making such rude advances where they might get caught. But then... had he been moving closer, too? No, that must be his imagination. It must be.

“Are your burns feeling alright?” he asks in an effort to break the awkward silence, “I’ve got enough energy to heal them more.” He just needs to do something familiar, to clear his head again before he does something even more stupid. He doesn’t want to make Zykun uncomfortable, so he needs to get ahold of himself.

Zykun attempts to speak, but his voice comes out a whisper. He clears his throat and starts again, this time with better results. “If... if you want to heal them more, I wouldn’t object to it...” he says quietly, trailing off. What he wouldn’t give to get off this tiny boat and away from this awkward situation. He’s getting too many mixed signals from Awatok. He feels like crying, but obviously can’t since he’s still trapped here with two people who may or may not hate him and/or ridicule him for crying and being so emotionally vulnerable. For all his bending might, he’s still surprisingly weak. He shouldn’t be feeling this way, shouldn’t be on the verge of tears, shouldn’t be this emotional. He’s pathetic.

Awatok doesn’t move right away, not sure if “I wouldn’t object” means Zykun wants more healing or not. It sounds a lot like something he’d say himself if someone bossy asked to do something with him he didn’t like. Besides, Zykun looks even more upset than before... What is he doing wrong? They were getting along great until he stupidly tried to kiss the firebender.

“Well, I don’t have to. You can go rest if you want,” he says slowly. He needs to do something to fix this mess. “I’m sorry about... that earlier. I didn’t mean to move in like that, I just wasn’t thinking.”

Wasn’t thinking. Right. He wasn’t thinking and when he did, he realized how bad of a decision it really was. “It’s okay,” Zykun mumbles, wincing as he stands up, using the rail to support himself. “Can we stop for a minute? I need to, um, relieve myself.” He glances at Awatok, then up at the bow where Kano is.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Awatok says, distracted by the disappointing realization that he hasn’t fixed whatever he messed up. He gets up and walks around to the bow. “Kano, can we stop a minute?” He wishes he could talk to her and get some advice. He can’t figure out what’s gone wrong with Zykun, but he’s convinced if he tells Kano things will only get ten times worse. But without her, he has no one to talk to. He sighs, eyes wandering off to the passing countryside. At the beginning of this journey, looking at a forest made him feel joyful. Now, to his dismay, it can’t even get rid of his uneasiness.

Zykun watches Awatok walk to the front of the boat, then looks away. He picks up the cloth bandages, intending to wash them out once they reach the shore. He rummages in his pack for the burn cream to continue treating his wounds. He’s not even going to bother to attempt to put on his shirt. Most of the right side is burned off anyways.

“Hm?” Kano asks, looking at Awatok. “Of course. Can you go into the cabin and turn the motor off?” She begins bending the water around the boat to turn it towards shore. It’s quite obvious to her now that her brother and that firebender are in love and neither of them know what to do. She’s not sure how she feels about it either. On one hand, she still hates firebenders with a passion, but on the other, Zykun’s proven multiple times that he’s not like the others. He actually isn’t a mindless burning machine like every other one. And she doesn’t want her brother to be upset. Maybe she should talk to him, let him know that she doesn’t hate the idea of them being together. She doesn’t like it, of course, but she’s not going to actively try to prevent it. She sighs as thoughts turmoil in her mind, fighting with one another to try and make sense of the issue. She instead focuses on turning to boat to shore. With a bump, they land.


	14. Relief

Awatok turns and heads into the cabin. He turns off the motor and then stands around, wondering if he should go back out and join the others on shore. It hardly seems worth it, just for some more awkwardness. Finally, though, he does leave the cabin. At least he can chat with Kano.

They dock at shore and Zykun jumps off, practically fleeing the boat. He needs to be alone right now. He walks quite a ways downstream, the day’s events weighing down on his shoulders. He feels like absolute shit. Awatok made a mistake, he didn’t really want to kiss Zykun again, he wasn’t thinking. Zykun’s an idiot for even thinking that they have any chance of working out together. They’re as different as different can be: Awatok’s a poor ex-slave waterbender and Zykun’s a rich slaver firebender. Or, used to be rich. Not any more now that he ran away.

Zykun slips off his shoes and wades into the river, not caring that his pants get soaked. The feeling of waterlogged cloth against his skin is nice. Comforting, in a way. He submerges the bandages into the slow moving water and starts to clean them, ignoring the painful throbbing in his neck and shoulder. He doesn’t deserve to be healed by Awatok. Or anyone, for that matter. He’s just a disgusting firebender and deserves to be burned. His mind races with unrelenting turmoil as he sits there, working with the cloth to clean it. 

Back on the boat, Kano watches Zykun walk away until she’s confident he won’t be able to hear them talk.

“So, you’re getting quite familiar with him, aren’t you?” she asks, looking at Awatok.

Awatok’s cheeks tinge pink and he looks away. While watching Zykun in the distance, he answers haltingly, “Well, I mean, we’re friendly. He’s nice. For a firebender. You know.” Why is Kano asking this? Does she know what happened in the cabin? No, she can’t know. He takes a deep breath. It’s probably a simple, innocent question. He hopes.

She nods. “You do realize I can feel your emotions? And vice versa, brother. We’ve always been in tune with each other’s feelings.” She looks pointedly at him. “I’m not mad. Just... curious. What’s going on?”

Awatok sighs. “I guess I was hoping you wouldn’t notice these ones,” he admits. Even as he says it, he realizes how ridiculous it seems, but it’s hardly surprising in the end. He’s practically going crazy, of course he would hope something silly like that. With a groan, he sits down on the deck and puts his head in his hands. “I don’t really know, Kano,” he says, “honest.” He’s quiet another moment, barely sure what to say, but finally he lifts his head and looks up at her. “I like him. I think he’s attractive. He makes me feel warm everywhere,” he says softly, as if speaking such words too loud would cause a disaster.

Kano listens to him, then sighs and looks down at her twin. She ruffles his hair, running her fingers through its short length. 

“Well, I don’t like it, but I’m not going to do anything to sabotage it. I still don’t trust him, but I’m not sure if I still hate him. I don’t think I do any more. Regardless, I trust you and your judgement, and if you trust him enough to have such feelings for him, well... that’s your decision and I’ll support you. I’m here for you, little brother, through anything that might happen. Don’t forget that.” She offers him a small smile, hoping he’ll cheer up.

Awatok stares at her for a moment, not sure what to think. She isn’t angry, she doesn’t hate him. She’s supporting him and his strange feelings? Slowly, he smiles back at her. She really must be the best sister, the best twin, anywhere. 

“You’re not that much older,” he teases as he stands up and hugs her tight. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I should have known better.”

“Older by five minutes,” she says, grin widening, ruffling his hair more and kissing his cheek. “Older enough to realize when you’re confused and need my support.” She wraps her arms around him, hugging him just as tightly. “I’ll always be here for you. You’re my brother, my twin, my best friend. Nothing will ever come between us."

Awatok smiles wide, quietly laughing. Now that he knows he can talk to Kano, his worries come tumbling out. “I think I’ve messed something up. We kissed earlier, but I got scared when you called me up and ran away all of a sudden. I think I made him upset with me. Then, just now, I almost kissed him again but I stopped because I didn’t want you to see and I didn’t know if he wanted to kiss. Now he’s even more upset, and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t want it to be so awkward anymore, but it’s hard.”

“You don’t have to worry about me any more, alright?” She rubs his back, trying to calm him down. “I think you should go talk to him. He’s probably anxious about me and what I’ll think, and not to mention he hates himself. He seems very messed up and... I dunno. I think talking to him would be beneficial.”

Awatok nods, slowly calming down. Still, the idea of talking to Zykun threatens to make him nervous all over again. What will he say? What will Zykun say? What if he never gets to kiss him again?

“He does seem to hate himself, doesn’t he?” he responds, pulling back from the hug with a frown. “I don’t understand why. He’s so sweet.” He sighs, glances downstream at Zykun, and hesitates. “If I don’t come back in ten minutes, come rescue me,” he says half-jokingly, smiling at her. He kisses her cheek and jumps off the boat, nervously starting toward Zykun.

She gives him an encouraging smile. “I will.” She leans on the railing and watches her twin walk away for a minute or so, then gets off the boat and starts practicing her waterbending.

Down the river, Zykun has since seated himself in the shallows so the water laps gently against his waist. He’s crying silently, occasionally pausing his work to wipe his tears away with a wet hand. Depression and shame consume him. It’s like he fell into a dark hole that collapsed inward, not letting him escape. 

Awatok stops a few paces away from Zykun and frowns. He looks miserable. Slowly, he moves closer until he’s standing in the shallows next to Zykun. He kneels down and gently places a hand on the firebender’s shoulder.

“Can we talk?”

Zykun jumps when Awatok touches him. What- when did he get there?? How long was he standing there?? He furiously wipes his eyes and sniffs. He knows it’s probably too late at this point to conceal the fact that he was crying, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

“A- about what?” he asks, attempting to regain his composure.

“About earlier,” Awatok says. He decides not to mention the crying so he doesn’t put Zykun on the spot. He clears his throat and gathers his thoughts. He needs to put this properly or he’ll make the situation worse. And he definitely doesn’t want that. “I was acting like that because I was worried about Kano finding out. But he knows, and he’s not upset. So... we don’t have to be nervous anymore.” He smiles, trying to be reassuring.

“Kano knows?” Zykun repeats in disbelief. Kano knows... and he’s not upset? He can’t comprehend what Awatok’s saying. Kano’s really not made? He was terrified about what Kano would do to him if he found out he’s attracted to Awatok... but he’s not mad? Zykun’s so lost in pondering this piece of information he almost doesn’t hear what Awatok says next or realizes what it means. They don’t have to be nervous?

“So... are... are you saying you do... like me?” he asks cautiously, glancing up at Awatok.

Awatok meets Zykun’s eyes and nods. “I do,” he says, “You’re great, Zykun. I wouldn’t want to kiss you if I didn’t like you, would I?” At least, he can’t see why someone would kiss a person they didn’t like. He’s surprised every time by how little Zykun thinks of himself, when he’s obviously such a nice, cute guy. Taking a risk, he reaches over and squeezes Zykun’s hand. “I’ve just been nervous, is all. I’ve never felt like this before. I’m not sure what to do with myself.”

Zykun looks down at their hands and gently squeezes back. “I’m not sure what to do with myself, either... I can’t imagine why someone as amazing as you would ever like me...” He’s still trying to wrap his head around that fact.

“You’re amazing, too,” Awatok explains, blushing at the praise. “I know you don’t think so, but trust me. At least for now, until I can show you how great you are.”

He brushes a hand through Zykun’s hair, then gently turns the firebender’s face to look at him. “Okay?” he asks softly, his eyes imploring even as he tries not to be too forceful. He doesn’t want to scare the man off.

“I...” He’s about to object, say he’s not great, but he thinks better of it. If Awatok really does think he’s great... well, either he’s seeing a completely different person or he’s delusional. “Okay,” he relents, getting lost in Awatok’s beautiful blue eyes.

Awatok smiles, letting his mind melt a moment as he looks at Zykun and his golden eyes. At last, he carefully leans forward and kisses Zykun. His hand drifts down from the man’s cheek to his good shoulder, then finds its way down to hold his waist. It’s wonderful. How he made it a whole afternoon without doing this, he has no idea. If he could, he would do this all day and night.

Zykun was hoping Awatok would kiss him, but didn’t expect that he actually would. A surge of happiness and relief washes over him as their lips meet and he kisses back. He slides his good arm around Awatok and shifts to face him. Awatok smiles into the kiss, pulling Zykun closer. All that matters in his world at the moment is Zykun’s lips and Zykun’s warmth radiating through him. The firebender rests his other hand on Awatok’s thigh and leans in, wanting to be as close to Awatok as possible. He is suddenly acutely aware of how he doesn’t have a shirt on and heat springs to his cheeks.

Awatok moves his hand from Zykun’s waist up and around to his chest. He runs his fingertips over the man’s nipples, following instinct because if he stops to think he knows he’ll overdo it and get nervous. With his heart beating wildly, he deepens the kiss. The firebender can’t hold back a small noise of surprise and pleasure as sparks of electricity shoot through him. He parts Awatok’s lips and suddenly he’s straddling the other man - how did that happen? - and pulling him closer, pressing his chest against the waterbender’s.

Awatok gasps quietly, his cheeks going quite pink. Since when do people straddle each other’s laps? He’s not sure exactly what’s going on, but he can’t say he dislikes it. Holding Zykun close, he lets one hand wander over the man’s bum and soaks in the tingling, buzzing pleasure coursing through him.

Zykun runs his hand up the man’s back and to his head, exploring his short hair. He can’t move his burned arm very much without it hurting, so he rests that hand on Awatok’s hip. He squeaks a little when Awatok’s hand is suddenly on his rear.

Awatok chuckles, finding the squeak oddly endearing. “Are you okay?” he whispers. Even if it is cute, he wants to check that the squeak isn’t a sound of distress.

“Y- yeah-” he breathes, barely pulling away from him. “I- I’m good.” He’s more than good, actually. He feels incredibly right about now. Everywhere Awatok touches him, pleasant sparks flood through him.

“Me, too,” Awatok smiles, glancing at Zykun’s beautiful eyes. “I’m wonderful, actually.” He leans in for another kiss, pressing urgently close. Any moment not spent kissing or touching or holding Zykun feels like a moment lost.

Zykun leans in to meet him and puts a little passion into the kiss, parting Awatok’s lips and cautiously venturing between them. His hand slides down from Awatok’s head and around the man’s shoulders, exploring every muscle on the way.

Awatok moans quietly in response to Zykun’s touches. To his surprise, the open kiss is quite nice, and he parts his lips a bit more to encourage Zykun. With one arm holding him close around the waist, he lets the other hand roam over his lower back. His skin is soft to the touch, but underneath he can feel firm muscles. The combination sets his breath going faster, arousing motion in his crotch. Every one of Awatok’s touches elicits a fantastic tingling where they make contact with Zykun’s skin. He doesn’t know how to describe it, but it is amazing and _very_ nice. He slips his hand under Awatok’s shirt and rests it on his bare skin, gently tracing Awatok’s waist.

Awatok shivers slightly as Zykun’s fingers trace over his skin, happily surprised at the tingling trail of pleasure they leave. Each touch lingers, letting him savor the feeling. He runs his hand through Zykun’s hair, tangling it in the man’s newly short locks, and his kissing grows more passionate.

“Mmmn,” Zykun moans softly as he slips his tongue between Awatok’s lips again. With a start, he realizes that he’s becoming aroused and starts to panic. He doesn’t know what to do about it and he certainly doesn’t want to make things uncomfortable between them, but how can he exit the situation gracefully without making Awatok suspicious or uncomfortable? He tenses up and blushes deeply.

Awatok feels Zykun tense and pulls away just slightly to meet his eyes. For a moment, he’s confused, but soon he realizes what the trouble must be as he feels it on his thigh. He blushes and realizes he has the same problem. What should he do? He doesn’t know how to deal with this. After a moment of rapid fire thinking, or at least as rapid as his pleasure-muddled brain can manage, he decides the best idea is to stop for the moment. He pecks one more quick kiss on Zykun’s lips and reluctantly suggests, “we should get back to the boat. Kano will be impatient to get going.” Hopefully she won’t mind being used as an excuse, of sorts.

Thankful that he’s being given an out, Zykun nods slightly, winces, and decides to talk instead of motion. “Yeah, probably,” he says, awkwardly backing away from him. He collects the now-clean bandages and wills himself to settle down. It works for the most part.

Awatok sits still for a bit, waiting for his own problem to go away. When it seems safe to get up and move, he crawls over to Zykun to help him get the bandages back on. “When we stop to get spices, we’ll get you something to help the pain,” he says. He hates to see poor Zykun wincing with every other movement.

“I brought the burn cream over here,” Zykun says, motioning with his good arm toward the shore. “That helps a little bit with the pain. Maybe we should go sit on the shore?” He figures it would be easier to situate the bandages.

Awatok looks down, remembering finally that they’re sitting in the river. “Good idea,” he agrees. He stands up and helps Zykun to his feet before walking to the shore. He leans down to pick up the cream and gets some on his fingers. “Okay, I’ll do the big one first, and then we can bandage it up again,” he says with a gentle smile.

“Alright,” Zykun says, remembering not to nod. He walks up to Awatok and tries not to wince too much while he applies the soothing mixture. “Thank you for helping me so much...”

“I’m happy to do it,” Awatok says truthfully. He sets aside the cream and starts to wrap the bandages around Zykun’s neck and shoulder. “I like taking care of people. I mean, I am a healer. Sort of.”

“Sort of nothing. You’re... you’re amazing, Awatok. You’re an incredible healer, and person as well. I don’t know where I’d be without you,” he says honestly. “Well... I’d probably be back with my father...” He lets that thought hang in the air with a certain amount of foreboding. He’s really glad he’s not still there; this is definitely much better than being trapped in that hellhole with him.

Awatok frowns sadly as he finishes wrapping Zykun’s burn. Before starting on the less severe burn on his arm, he reaches over to squeeze the firebender’s hand. “Well, you’re not without me,” he reminds gently.

Zykun looks down at his hand and squeezes back, then up at Awatok. A small smile crosses his face. “Yeah, I suppose so.” After Awatok finishes bandaging his wounds, they return to the boat where Kano is waiting.

“You two are all wet,” she comments, glancing them up and down. She’s pretending she didn’t see them in the river. 

Awatok blushes brightly and clears his throat. “We, um...fell in the river.” He knows Kano can tell he’s lying, but decides to pretend she doesn’t. If they all just pretend, he can save himself some embarrassment.

Kano smirks. “Alright, well, here.” She pulls the water out of their clothes and streams it back into the river. “Don’t want either of you catching a cold.” She totally saw them making out.

“Thanks,” Zykun says with a slight blush. He really hopes he didn’t see them totally making out.

“Shall we get going?” she asks, gesturing to the boat. She’s acting normal, not wanting to make this more awkward than it has to be. She knows her twin is probably really embarrassed that she knows about the two of them and doesn’t want to alienate him by making fun of him or doing something to further embarrass the two.

“Yeah, that’s a good plan,” Awatok nods, still blushing. He shuffles forward and pauses as he walks past Kano. “Thank you,” he murmurs before hurrying onto the boat. Thank goodness she’s being so calm about this. He’s not sure he could handle any teasing at the moment. Once on the boat, he sits on the deck and tries to will the blood to get out of his cheeks.

Kano pats his shoulder as he passes and follows the two men back onto the boat. She raises the steps and walks to the bow to bend it back into the river. Zykun carefully sits down across from Awatok, trying not to aggravate his burns, and acutely aware of his shirtless status. Once they’re in town he’s thinking of getting one that’s open in the front so he can just slip it on and off. He glances up at Awatok and blushes slightly, suddenly very self-conscious about his scarred, bare torso, save for the bandages crisscrossing his chest.

Awatok glances at Zykun shyly, catching his blush. He looks down at the man’s chest and then blushes a bit himself before quickly looking away. Zykun has his shirt off because of his burns, he shouldn’t just ogle him like that. To keep from being rude, he starts up a conversation.

“So what do you think it will be like, when we get to Ba Sing Se?”

“I don’t know,” Zykun admits, looking over the side of the boat. “It... they told us in school that they burned Ba Sing Se to the ground to try and kill all the Earthbenders. They say eternal fires burn there now. I’m not sure if it’s true or not... but whatever we find there... won’t be pretty. I don’t know if the Resistance is there. It would make sense that they wouldn’t be... but it also makes sense that they would. Everyone was flocking to Ba Sing Se during the war, and the rumors are that the Resistance is there, so my theory is that they’re based near Ba Sing Se. They probably send out scouting teams to find any stragglers and bring them to their base. Hopefully we’ll be able to find one before the Fire Nation finds us,” he says, leaning against the cool metal of the ship.

Awatok frowns and sighs. “They’ve got to be close behind us...” he muses with a worried look, “If we don’t find a scouting team, or Avatar forbid, there isn’t even a resistance... I don’t know what we’ll do.” He sighs again, considering the various horrible outcomes of being caught. He hates to admit that if they’re caught, dying might be the best option.

“Oh, no, there is a resistance,” Zykun says, “Azon bitched about them all the time. He’s still technically a military general and so gets a lot of information about the fight against them. They’re a real pain to the military. It’s rumored that the great General Iroh is there, along with King Bumi and other great masters. That’s probably why they aren’t all dead by now.” He tries to sound encouraging, noticing that Awatok looks nervous.

Awatok looks over at Zykun, a hesitant smile spreading over his face. “General Iroh and King Bumi? Really? That’s an impressive resistance,” he says, and his fears start to subside. If Zykun believes there’s a resistance then he can trust that one is really out there. “I can’t wait to find them,” he says with a small, nervous laugh, “and get somewhere safer.”

“That’s for sure. I’m still really nervous. There were two ships sent after us... there are probably going to be more. I... I’m hesitant about going into that town, too. There’s bound to be soldiers there, especially after our escape... what do you think?”

“I think we’re bound to run into soldiers in town,” Awatok agrees, “I think you should probably stay with the ship. You’re more recognizable. If Kano and I keep our faces hidden, we could maybe pass as regular Fire Nation subjects for an hour or two. Just enough to get the supplies we need.” He ponders a moment, then adds, “at the same time, it’s dangerous to leave you out here alone. If they find the ship and attack it, you’d be really outnumbered, and even as strong as you are, I still don’t want to leave you in danger like that.”

“I can hide. There’s forest all around. We could park the ship and I’d find a hollow or something to hide in while you two go into town-” Kano jumps down from the roof, startling Zykun and making him jerk, agitating his wound.

“Sorry,” she says, noticing his pained expression. “I heard you planning and thought I’d join.” She sits against the cabin door and looks between them.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Awatok says, feeling a bit guilty, “we should have included you. We were just talking about the next town. There might be soldiers, so I thought Zykun should stay behind and, I guess, hide in the forest. What do you think?”

“Probably a good idea,” she says, looking at Zykun. “Plus, if we get into trouble, you’d just slow us down.”

“Oh... yeah, I guess I would,” Zykun replies, looking away. He’s just a burden on them. “And I might get recognized. I used to go there a lot.”

Awatok frowns a bit at Kano’s bluntness. It’s hardly worth the effort to point it out to her, though; she’s always been blunt and Awatok has given up trying to change that.

“It’s only because of your wounds,” he says instead to Zykun, “Once you’re healed, you won’t slow us down. You’re a good fighter.” He smiles reassuringly.

Zykun glances over at him and smiles ever so slightly. “Thank you for saying so,” he says. It’s his only redeeming quality, or so he thinks. He knows he’s a good fighter, hell, he’s an excellent fighter. He’s perfectly in control of his bending, but other than that, he doesn’t have very many redeeming features. Everyone’s only ever admired him for his bending. That’s why he was so popular in school; that’s why his father didn’t disown him, which he threatened to do many times if Zykun didn’t relent to more training and progressed as fast as his father wanted. Nevertheless, it was because of his father’s harsh regimes that he’s able to bend like he is and use it to protect people... people like Awatok and Kano. There’s something strange about those two, something that compelled him to betray his father and help them break out of the compound, something that compelled him to stick with them even through more abuse, and something that makes him want to protect them and keep them safe. He has no idea what, but if he sticks around, maybe he’ll find out.

“That’s for damn sure,” Kano says, dragging Zykun out of his thoughts. She looks over at him, crossing her arms and leaning back against the cabin door. “I may not like what you do, but I have to acknowledge that you’re good at it.”

Awatok nods. “That’s right,” he agrees with a smile, “I’d prefer if we never had to use our bending for fighting, to be honest. But right now, it’s good that you can use it that way, and use it well. Between you and Kano, we stand a good chance if we get attacked again.” More like _when_ they get attacked. Frankly, he’s relieved Zykun has fighting skills, because if he didn’t, Kano would basically be doing all the work protecting them in a battle. Not that he wouldn’t help as much as he could. He just isn’t good at it, really. It feels much safer having another skilled fighter in their group. Though that’s hardly the only reason to be happy Zykun is here. He looks over at Zykun with a slight blush. No, not hardly. Zykun’s sweet disposition, his golden eyes, and his adorable smile (however seldom it shows itself) are the real reasons it’s great to be around him.

“Oh, come on, you’re a good fighter too,” Kano insists, looking at her brother with a smile. “Don’t count yourself short. You may not be as aggressive as me, but you’re still a good fighter.” She nods a little.

“You’re a good fighter and a good healer as well,” Zykun encourages him.

Awatok blushes a bit more, smiling at them both. “Well, I guess I’m okay. But I really prefer healing. It feels more natural,” he responds with a shrug. He looks ahead of them through the forest to see if he can see any sign of the town yet, but there’s only more leaves. Not even the animals are out, probably scared off by the sound of the boat approaching. It would certainly send him running if he weren’t on it.

“Yeah, you’ve always been better at it than me,” Kano says. “We’re opposites. I’m the fighter and you’re the healer.” She chuckles a little. Zykun smiles slightly. He’s glad Awatok can heal really well. If not, well... he probably wouldn’t be alive right now.

Awatok smiles warmly at Kano, shaking his head. “No, not opposites,” he says, “More like... complementary. We’re a pair.”

“You’re right. We are a pair,” she says, scooching over to him and putting her arm around his shoulders. She grins at him. “My perfect twin brother.”

Awatok chuckles, putting his arm around her shoulders, too. They’re almost a mirror image. “I could say the same,” he replies, smiling, “big brother.” Even if she’s only a few minutes older, he has to admit she does act more like an older sibling sometimes than one the same age. And of course, sometimes he takes on the more protective role when he’s trying to keep her out of trouble. They really are a perfect pair, each one taking up the role the other needs.

Zykun looks between them, observing how similar they really are. Identical twins are strange, but he can still tell them apart. Kano’s features are sharper than Awatok’s, but not by much, and the look in their eyes is completely different. Even though they’re the same color, Kano’s are much colder and more determined than Awatok’s, which are sweet and comforting.

“Anyway, I think we’re nearing the village,” Zykun says, looking around. “There’s another boat up ahead.”

Kano’s happy expression drops and she stands up, turning to face the front of the boat. “You’re right. I see two, actually.”

“Two?” Awatok frowns, “What are they doing here? Maybe they’re just a patrol. If we go inside, we could pass them...” He stands up to look at the boats up ahead. He hopes his guess is right, but inside he doubts it.

“They’ll see us through the windows,” Zykun points out. “We’re not in uniform. They’ll know something’s up.” He takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

“We could land,” Kano suggests. “Skip the town entirely. Walk straight across to the main river. Maybe we could find another boat.” She looks at Zykun, knowing it probably wouldn’t be good for him to walk far in his condition. His burns are still bad.

“How far of a walk is that?” Awatok asks, the same concern crossing his mind. He gently places his hand on Zykun’s good shoulder, trying to keep him calm.

“I don’t know, maybe a mile or two?” Zykun says. “It’s not that far...” He glances at Awatok, comforted by his hand. He appreciates the gesture.

“I could carry two packs this time,” Kano suggests.

“That would make it easier,” Awatok nods, “If it’s only a mile or two, I think we could make it.” If it comes down to it, he’ll just carry Zykun so the man doesn’t overexert himself. He’d rather be tired than see Zykun’s injuries get worse.

Kano nods. “I’ll pull the boat over and we’ll disembark. We can blend into the trees.”

“The sun is about to set, too. It’ll be good cover,” Zykun points out.

“Then it’s decided.” She stands up and starts to bend the water around the boat.

“Did we leave anything in the cabin?” Awatok asks, stashing the last of the fish they’d cooked into his pack and throwing it on. It won’t be good to forget something, and not only because they need all the supplies they can get. Leaving a trace like that will make them easier to track.

Kano checks. “No.” She grabs the two packs and hoists them over her shoulder. The boat slides to the bank and she lowers the stairs. “Let’s go.”


	15. A New Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow two chapters in one day! This one is a lot shorter than the previous one though. But no worries, then next one is longer and action packed.

They make their way onto the riverbank and Zykun cringes as his shoulder flares. Awatok looks back at the firebender. “Don’t push yourself too hard,” he reminds the man, but nervousness sets in as the boats grow closer in the distance.

“I’m alright. It’s healing up,” Zykun assures Awatok. “It doesn’t hurt as much as it did this morning.” It’s still pretty bad, but he doesn’t want to reveal that and slow them down. They need to get away from those firebenders. 

“Good. Then let’s quicken the pace. I don’t want to be anywhere near the river when they get to our boat,” Kano says, walking faster through the brush.

Awatok nods, quickening his own pace to match Kano’s. Nonetheless, he keeps glancing back at Zykun to check on him, worried the firebender is covering up how much pain he’s really in. He’s done it before, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility, and as somewhat of a natural worrier, Awatok can’t help but keep an eye on him.

Zykun lags behind the twins, his progress slowed by the rough terrain and the pain in his neck. He keeps his face blank, betraying nothing. He’s had years of practice of concealing pain, so he’s rather good at it.

They make their way through the twilight forest, the silence broken only by their breathing and footsteps, and eventually come across a path.

“It probably goes to the town,” Zykun pants. He’s finding it very hard to catch his breath, seeing as every time he tries to the pain flares up in his neck and shoulder. Even talking hurts; the burn extends across his jaw and halfway up his cheek.

“Should we go the other way?” Kano says, looking north. “Does it lead to the main river?”

“Don’t think so.” Zykun leans against a tree. His sweat-soaked bandages chafe horribly against his burn and the salt only adds to the discomfort, but he doesn’t want to slow them down, especially not with the enemy so close, so he says nothing.

“Well, we don’t want to get to the town,” Awatok muses, frowning thoughtfully in Zykun’s direction. He doesn’t look like he’s in pain, judging from his expression, but he’s clearly tired and out of breath. He decides to let it go for now, since they are in a hurry to escape pursuit, after all. “Any guesses which direction the main river is, Zykun? Otherwise, we might as well follow this path the other way.”

“We could take the path, I mean, we’re going to head north eventually. But we risk running into people... or soldiers.” It would be easier to walk on; Zykun desperately wants to take it, but he knows that they’re all in more danger if they do. “Or we could keep going straight until we get to the river. It’s probably about another mile or so.” He looks between the twins.

Awatok glances between the path and the rough terrain ahead of them. “Which way would they expect us to go?” he wonders aloud. The path holds more danger of being spotted, but if they can outwit the soldiers on the boat behind them they’ll have an easier time escaping more imminent capture. Even still, it might be better to go to the river where they can travel in peace. With a sigh, he wishes he had more time to think it through.

“I don’t know,” Zykun replies.

“Let’s continue straight for the river,” Kano suggests, looking at Zykun. “Do you think you can make it? We can steal another boat once we’re there so we won’t have to walk any more.”

“I can make it,” Zykun says, remembering not to nod. “I’ll be fine.” That’s a complete lie; he knows he isn’t going to be fine, but he tells them he is. He doesn’t want to slow them down or make them worry.

Awatok, of course, worries anyway. If they didn’t have to escape the soldiers, he wouldn’t let Zykun get away with such an obvious lie; he means, really, serious burns like that and he’ll “be fine?” Nonetheless, Awatok sighs and doesn’t call Zykun on it. They do need to get away, somewhere safe, and quickly. He can fuss over the firebender once they get there.

“Let’s go, then. We don’t have a lot of time before they catch up,” he says, and heads forward.

They make their way through the forest and Zykun lags farther and farther behind. It’s quite obvious that he’s in a lot of pain, even if his face doesn’t show it. Kano keeps glancing back and slowing their pace for him.

“Let’s rest for a minute,” she suggests after about half a mile. “The river should be getting close.” Zykun immediately slumps down and sits on a rock, chest heaving. He’s exhausted and his burn feels like it’s on fire. He doesn’t know how much longer he can do this.

Awatok frowns and kneels beside Zykun. “You don’t need to walk if it hurts too much,” he says gently, pulling a bit of water from his waterskin to soothe the man’s burns. He glances in the direction they came from, nervously scanning for soldiers, and then looks back at Zykun. “I can carry you the rest of the way, if you want. It’s not far.”

“No, it’s okay. I can walk,” Zykun says, starting to shake his head, then deciding better of it. He’s about to say something else when they hear a sudden whine coming from behind Kano. She whirls around and pulls water from her canteen.

“What was that?” Zykun asks, standing with some effort.

“I don’t know.” Kano carefully walks through the brush to find a large animal caught in a trap. She’s never seen anything like it before. It’s big and has brown fur and a pink tentacle-y nose, but no eyes. “What the hell is _that?!_ ”

“What the hell is what?” Zykun asks, walking over to her. “What- oh! It’s a shirshu!”

“A what?”

“A shirshu. An animal that sees with its nose. They’re excellent trackers, very intelligent, and its tongue is tipped with a paralyzing agent. I’ve heard that some bounty hunters use them and they’re apparently very loyal. I’ve never seen one up close before!”

“It’s hurt,” Kano observes, “I’m going to try to get it out of that trap.” She starts towards it, but it snaps at her. “Hey! Stop that! I’m trying to help!”

“Don’t yell!” Zykun exclaims. “You’ll only scare her more. Here, like this.” He holds his left hand out and slowly approaches it. “Here girl, it’s alright... we’re here to help.” The shirshu growls at him and he stops, then starts forward a little more when it calms down. “Do we still have any fish left? If we feed her, she might let us near.”

Awatok peers at the shirshu curiously. It’s such a strange looking creature. As Zykun tries to calm it, he finds himself smiling. Zykun is so kind, even to wild animals. Could he get any more wonderful? 

“Oh, uh, I think so,” he says, the firebender’s question stirring him out of his daydreams. He digs in his pack and finds three leftover fish, then slowly walks closer to hand them to Zykun, his eyes on the shirshu the whole time just in case it decides to get angry with him.

The shirshu growls at Awatok, but it notices the fish and decides that maybe these people aren’t so bad. Zykun lays the fish down in front of the animal, who promptly devours them.

“It probably hasn’t eaten for days,” Zykun figures as he kneels down beside her, gently stroking her neck. Kano walks around to the trap and figures out how to release it. The shirshu yelps at the trap releases its leg and it jerks back.

“It’s okay! It’s okay,” Zykun says, calming it. The shirshu whines slightly before going back to eating. Kano wraps its hurt leg in water and begins healing it.

“Do you think she would follow us?” Awatok asks, expression thoughtful, “a shirshu might be helpful to travel with. Especially with its tongue. You said she had a paralyzing toxin, right, Zykun?”

“It does. That would really help us,” Zykun says.

“From the looks of this leg, she’s not going very far very fast,” Kano says. “If we find a boat big enough to carry her, we can bring her with us.”

Awatok nods. “That’s reasonable,” he agrees, “Zykun, can you try to get her to follow us as far as the river? She might be slow, but we won’t be able to come back for her, so...” He peeks out of the bushes and glances behind them again, in search of pursuers.

“Probably,” Zykun replies.

“Let me heal her more first. She can’t walk on this leg at all right now,” Kano says. “I know we’re in a hurry, but just give me a minute.”

Zykun strokes the animal’s fur comfortingly as the shirshu finishes the fish. It raises its head to Zykun, wondering if he has more. Zykun scratches between its ears. “Sorry, we don’t have any more fish right now.”

“While we’re stopped,” Awatok says, but doesn’t finish the thought out loud. He moves back to Zykun’s side and resumes healing the man’s burns, enough to help with the pain for the moment.

“Oh! Ohh,” Zykun exclaims, then sighs in relief. He wasn’t expecting Awatok to suddenly start healing him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you,” Awatok murmurs. “Didn’t I mention I was going to heal you? I thought I did...” Though he’s very distracted at the moment, trying to balance all his different worries, so it might have slipped his mind. How embarrassing.

“No, it- it’s okay. It’s really okay,” he murmurs, taking a deep breath. It doesn’t hurt to breathe when Awatok is healing him. “It’s really good, actually... thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Awatok says with a smile, “It’s really no big deal. I just want to take care of you, is all.”

Zykun blushes more than a little, unable to hide it from Awatok. “Thank you...” he murmurs, slightly embarrassed.

Kano glances over at them, then looks back to the shirshu’s leg. She’s still not happy about how Awatok and Zykun feel towards each other, but she’s not going to interfere with it.

Awatok smiles, deciding not to mention the blush. He doesn’t want to embarrass Zykun, after all. Even if it is the most adorable blush ever. Sure, technically, it hasn’t been put to a vote or compared to other blushes throughout history, but Awatok is confident making the call in this instance. It is definitely the most adorable.

“Kano, how’s the shirshu?” he calls to his twin, reluctantly pulling his attention away from Zykun’s cheeks.

“It’s a little better, but her leg is going to need a lot of work. I’m not sure how long it was trapped here, but she’s pretty messed up. I set the bone and starting to heal it, but it’s not able to bear weight yet.” She glances over at her twin. “But we need to get moving. I’m worried about those firebenders; they may be following us.”

“They probably are,” Zykun says, running his hand through the shirshu’s fur. “Do you think she can limp? We probably don’t have far to go.”

“Maybe, if she doesn’t put weight on her leg.”

“Then we can get going,” Awatok says, pulling away from Zykun to stand up. “Kano, can you help the shirshu? I’ll walk with Zykun.” And help him, he doesn’t add aloud, since Zykun seems determined to pretend he’s fine. Kano nods and stands up, letting the water seep into the shirshu’s leg.

“Can you get up?” Zykun asks her softly, gently raising her head. “We need to get moving.” He struggles to his feet as the shirshu climbs to her own, holding her wounded leg close to her body. Kano helps it balance and stand up as Zykun encourages it from the front. They take a few steps and the shirshu gingerly experiments with walking on three legs.

“There you go, you got it,” Zykun says encouragingly, scratching her head. She snuffles and noses Zykun’s hand, prompting a smile from the young man. Before he can say anything else, the shirshu growls and turns its head to look behind them.

“Zykun? What’s it doing?” Kano asks nervously as it looks right at her. Her question is answered not by Zykun, but from the voices that sound faintly behind them. Kano glances behind them, then at Awatok.

“The soldiers have caught up.”


	16. New Techniques

Awatok turns and looks over Kano’s shoulder, his frown growing as he realizes just how close the soldiers are.

“We’re not going to get away,” he says plainly, “Kano, do you think we can fight them all?”

“I can,” she says confidently, but quietly, scanning the brush. “There can’t be more than six or so. I’ll ambush them and take them all out at once. Get Zykun and the shirshu out of here.”

“What? No, you can’t take them all on by yourself. I can help,” Zykun says, but the sweat on his brow and slight pained expression say otherwise. “I can fight.”

“Like hell you can. Get out of here. I’ll climb a tree and catch them by surprise. Just _go_.” She motions for them to start moving. “There’s no time to argue.”

Though it pains him to leave his twin behind to fight on her own, Awatok realizes the sense of her plan. Zykun can barely walk, let alone fight, and would need looking after if they stayed, which would harm their chances in a fight.

“Be careful,” he says to Kano, “We’ll wait for you at the river.”

Without wasting another moment, he takes Zykun gently by the arm and leads him away, walking quickly. “Is this slow enough for you?” he asks, concerned for the man.

“I’m fine,” Zykun insists, resting a hand on the shirshu, who adapts very quickly to walking on three legs and hobbles next to the two men, keeping pace. “Are you sure Kano’s going to be alright? He’s facing half a dozen men.”

“Kano is a good fighter,” Awatok replies, frowning, “I’m not sure of anything, but I believe he can beat them.”

Even so, he can feel it as Kano verges on panic, and he isn’t able to breathe fully until he feels her calm down. She has to beat them, and be okay. If she doesn’t... he can’t imagine what he’d do without her.

“I hope you’re right,” Zykun says.

Kano, meanwhile, scales a tree and waits for the soldiers to approach. She opens her water skin to prepare her attack and dread washes over her. They’ve been drinking the water in their skins as they made their way through the forest; she barely has any left. How can she hope to defeat them with only a handful? She needs more, but there aren’t any streams or ponds around here, nothing close by she can pull from. She takes a deep breath, forcing herself not to panic. There has to be water _somewhere_ she can use. It’s essential to life, isn’t it? Everything needs it to grow- the plants! A sudden flash of realization hits her and she places her hand on the tree trunk next to her. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, focusing on it, and... yes! She can feel water flowing through it, water she can use. She just might be able to do this after all.

The sound of crunching twigs and branches as the firebenders approach snaps her out of her thoughts. She looks down through the leaves to see not five or six as she expected, but at least a dozen men. How the hell is she going to fight all of them alone?? She needs water and she needs it _now_. She takes a deep breath and carefully stands up, bracing herself. In one fell motion, she rips all of the water out of a nearby tree, causing it to explode. Bone-dry splinters shower down onto the firebenders, sending them into panic. Kano nearly falls off of her branch in surprise; she wasn’t expecting the tree to _explode_.

However much Kano is surprised, the firebenders are double that. They frantically scurry away, looking around for what could have caused it. Kano hears shouts of confusion and orders barked from one of them and she grins, excited by her newfound ability. She rips the water out of another tree and swirls it together with the water from the first, raining deadly icicles down on the confused firebenders. Who she assumes to be the captain realizes what’s happening in time and blocks the ice with a fire shield, but six other soldiers aren’t so lucky and are skewered straight through.

Some of the remaining soldiers spot Kano and alert the others to her position. She tears the water out of the tree she’s hiding in and uses it to surf down to the ground as splinters rain down around them. The icicles splash back to water as Kano swirls a shield around herself to block incoming attacks. Some of the firebenders run behind her, surrounding her to cut off escape, but before they can attack she impales them with water pulled from a tree behind them. Before their bodies have even hit the ground, Kano has turned the ice back into water and sent it rushing at the remaining four or so soldiers, two of whom are attempting to flee. She overwhelms them all with the torrent of water and slams them against the trees, pinning them there with icicles through their chests.

Kano lowers her arms, chest heaving, and surveys the scene. Red, bleeding, wet bodies and ragged stumps from the trees she destroyed litter the area. The ground is soaked, along with herself. She looks around for any movement from the bodies, and after confirming that they’re all dead, consults the angle of the sun to get her bearings. She turns west and starts jogging, hoping to catch up to her brother and Zykun soon.

Meanwhile, a ways away, Zykun jumps as he hears a loud crack, shortly followed by another. “What was that??” he exclaims, glancing at Awatok, then looking back through the trees. They’re too far away to see anything, but he can hear fighting.

“It was... it sounded like an explosion,” Awatok replies, his tone rising in disbelief. “Would those soldiers have anything explosive?” he asks Zykun urgently, worry for his twin almost outweighing his logical imperative to get to the river and find a boat. Kano wasn’t expecting soldiers with bombs - what if she’s hurt because she was caught unawares?

“I- I don’t know!” Zykun frowns. “If it was a bomb, we’d see a lot of fire and destruction... I don’t see any flames through the trees.” He looks at Awatok. “Do you?”

“No, I don’t,” Awatok says, reluctantly turning and moving forward again toward the river. He doesn’t hear her first call, but since they stopped to look back, they are not very far ahead yet.

The shirshu stops and whines, turning back the way they came. Zykun frowns. “Come on, we need to go,” he says, gently trying to turn her head forward. The shirshu growls and he quickly backs away. 

“Why is she growling?” Awatok asks, but holds up a hand to stop Zykun from talking before he has a chance to answer. He heard something, a faint, familiar voice. Kano!

“Awatok?” Kano calls, but she figures they’re already too far ahead to hear her. She hopes she’s going in the right direction. Her brother’s response confirms her hopes and she hurries towards it.

“Kano!” Awatok exclaims, taking a few steps back the way they came and squinting at their path in search of her. “Is that you?”

His question is answered when Kano emerges from the brush. She grins when she sees them.

“Hey boys. I took care of our little firebender problem.”

“What was the exploding?” Awatok asks as he hurries over to hug her. Thank the Avatar she’s okay. Not even injured, from what he can see.

“I just discovered a new technique. Stand back and watch this.” She takes a couple steps away and looks around, spotting a relatively small tree that’s perfect for the demonstration. It won’t produce any harmful splinters. She takes a deep breath and with a swift motion, tears all of the water from it.

“What??” Zykun exclaims, lowering the arm he threw up in defense.

“I didn’t have any water to fight with,” Kano explains as she moves the water from the tree around with a smile, “and I realized that everything needs water to grow, and plants have water in them. Especially trees. I used the water in them to kill the soldiers; that’s probably what you heard.”

"That's amazing," Awatok murmurs, awed by his twin's idea. Eager to try it himself, he looks around and sees another small tree. Closing his eyes to concentrate, he tears the water from the tree and then bends it in circles between his hands. "Woah..."

"It's cool, isn't it?" Kano asks, grin widening. “Trees have a ton of water in them.”

"Think about what else we could do with this," Awatok grins, "if you look at it this way, there's water almost everywhere!"

"There _is_ water everywhere," Kano realizes. "In every living thing, in plants, in animals, in... in humans." She looks at Awatok, stunned by her sudden realization. This is powerful. With this, they can do so much more with their bending.

"In humans," Awatok echoes, his eyes widening as they meet Kano's, "Do you think we could really...?"

"I don't see why not," she replies, glancing at Zykun, who nervously presses up against the tree, worried Kano might try something on him. "Blood is mostly water." She looks back at Awatok. "It might be hard to control them, especially if the victim fights back. I wonder if ripping their veins out would be easier, like with the trees."

"Ripping their veins out?" Awatok frowns, looking thoroughly disturbed. His twin is quite morbid. "I think we should save that for... emergencies." Or for never. "What if we tried it for healing instead?"

"Tried what for healing?" Kano asks. "Using blood?"

"Yeah," Awatok nodded, "It might help. Speed things up, you know? It kind of makes sense.”

"Interesting idea." Kano looks at Zykun again. "You could try it on Zykun. The sooner we can get him back in fighting condition, the better."

"Would it be okay if I tried it with you?" Awatok asked Zykun, smiling reassuringly.

“Um, I- I guess... would... would you be using my blood?" Zykun replies nervously.

"No, I'd need a lot, I can't use yours," Awatok reassures him, glancing back toward the dead firebenders, "I could use theirs."

"Yeah, they're still fresh," Kano says. "You could try it."

"Eugh." Zykun makes a slightly disgusted sound at the idea, but doesn't outright speak against it. After all, he’s all for getting healed faster.

"Let's give it a try," Awatok said, taking Zykun's hand and smiling gently. "I know it's gross. But it might help."

Zykun nods, then winces. "Yeah, the sooner I'm healed, the better."

The group walks back over to the bodies, Kano helping the shirshu along. The twins draw blood from the bodies, Kano experimenting with bending it around while Awatok walks over to Zykun, who has peeled his bandages away. 

“Hold still, I’m not sure how this is going to work. Tell me if it starts to hurt,” Awatok says, nervous that he might accidentally hurt Zykun with the new healing style instead of helping. He bends it around Zykun’s neck and it glows as he starts to heal the burn, watching the firebender closely for any sign of distress. 

Zykun sighs in relief, feeling its effectiveness. "Wow," he breathes, closing his eyes and feeling the pain quickly fade away.

"This is incredible," Awatok murmurs. He can feel its effectiveness; it’s not like healing with water at all. It’s hard to describe; it feels fuller than water, thicker, more satisfying and effective. A few moments later he stops to examine the wound. It’s nearly fully healed; Zykun’s skin is still pink and tender, but it’s not burned any more. “I can’t believe it.”

"Wow," Zykun repeats, gingerly feeling his shoulder. It’s still tender, but it doesn't hurt at all any more. "That's just... wow. This is incredible!" He experimentally moves his shoulder around, relieved that it doesn’t hurt. Awatok smiles widely. This will improve healing so much. Lives could be saved! Dropping the blood to the side, he hugs Zykun happily.

"Ow-" Zykun gasps as Awatok squeezes him. His arm is still burned and the sudden contact makes the pain flare up again.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Awatok exclaims, moving away. He quickly starts bloodhealing Zykun's arm to soothe the pain.

"Ah, thank you," Zykun says, watching Awatok heal him. He looks so focused, so worried, so... attractive. He finds himself staring at his face.

Awatok glances up and blushes at Zykun's stare. "What?" He asks shyly.

Zykun blushes and looks away. "N- nothing..."

"You're lying," Awatok accuses with a small smile.

Zykun glances at him, blush deepening. "You're just... really pretty when you're focused."

"Pretty?" Awatok asks, blushing more. "You really think so? I'm just working, nothing special."

"Yeah, but... you do this thing with your eyebrows and... yeah..." He clears his throat. "Thank you again." He looks at his arm. The only indication he had been burned at all is a slight discoloration of his skin. There's not even going to be a scar. "That really is amazing."

"Isn't it?" Awatok smiles, brushing his hand over Zykun's arm. It's as good as ever; beautiful, even with the discoloration. He heals Zykun’s fingers, then wrist, before checking him for any others. 

“Is that it?” he asks, wanting to make sure Zykun’s fully healed. The firebender flexes his hands. 

“Yeah, that’s all,” he replies with a slight nod, feeling his arm where he had burned himself. The bloodhealing had erased all the scars around his burns in addition to healing them. He wonders if that’s a good thing. They’re painful memories, for sure, but they’re also his life. All the troubles he went through, the troubles that made him who he is. But he is ashamed of them, and maybe it would be better to get rid of them. He wouldn’t have to hide his arms any more. He wouldn’t have to be ashamed by his own weakness. He could start over, never harm himself again. He would be reminded by the blank canvas of his skin that he’s done with that, that he doesn’t have a reason to any more, and he wouldn’t want to mar it. 

Awatok looks intently at the firebender, watching him run his hand over the unmottled skin on his wrist. Curiously, the bloodbending erased his scars as well as healed the burn. He wonders what the man’s thinking right now, what’s running through his head. Maybe it would be best if he healed the rest of his scars, too. Maybe that would make Zykun feel better. Hesitantly, watching for an adverse reaction, he takes the man’s hand in his own and with his other, starts to bloodheal the rest of his scars away. Zykun glances up at him, but doesn’t protest. After Awatok is done with his left arm, he moves onto the right, erasing the man’s scars. 

Meanwhile, Kano has healed the shirshu's leg with blood. She looks up to see Awatok and Zykun in a seemingly intimate moment. They’re not kissing, thankfully, but they’re very close and Awatok’s healing him. She decides not to intervene, even however much it annoys her, and fills her waterskin with blood. They could use it down the road if they get hurt again. Zykun does seem to be a magnet for burns. She looks over again and sees that Awatok has finished healing Zykun and is now just holding his hands. She decides it’s time to leave.

"How're you two lovebirds doing over there?" she nonchalantly calls over, watching them jerk apart with a sort of satisfaction.

Awatok blushes and pouts at Kano. "We're fine. You?"

"I fixed the shirshu up," she replies. "She should be fine now. We still need to give her a name." The shirshu snuffled, nuzzling Kano's shoulder.

"I've never named anyone before," Awatok muses.

"Me neither," Kano replies. "What's your name, big guy?" She pets the shirshu's snout, staying away from its sensitive nose.

The shirshu makes a happy noise, then she hears an animal nearby and pounces over to catch it. Awatok smiles. "Seems like she likes to hunt. We could name her for that."

"Like Huntress or something?" Kano asks, watching the shirshu pounce on the animal.

"That sounds good," Awatok nods while the shirshu walks back to them with the animal dangling from her mouth, seeming to smile.

Kano chuckles. "Huntress it is then." She smiles and pets Huntress' head.

"I like it," Zykun says as he rolls up the bandages.

Huntress purrs a little, then starts to eat her catch, staying near Kano. This human is her favorite so far. Awatok can't help but stare at Zykun, his cheeks bright pink. Zykun’s shirt was burned all to hell, and what wasn’t, they used to make bandages, so for now the firebender has to go shirtless. 

Zykun glances over at Awatok and sees his blush, which immediately causes him to become very self-conscious. He doesn't like people seeing his scars, and even though Awatok healed the ones on his arms, there are still quite a few on his torso, mostly from his father. He crosses his arms and glances away. "Maybe we should go... there might be other soldiers coming soon."

Awatok looks away, worried he's upset Zykun. "Yeah, good idea. Now that Huntress is healed, do you think we can ride her?"

"I wouldn't, at least, not until she trusts us more," Zykun says. "If we try to now, she might see that as threatening and act against us."

"True," Awatok sighs, "Let's get walking, then." He turns and heads toward the river. Kano immediately picks up the pace, happy that they can go faster now. Zykun follows Awatok, ecstatic that his shoulder isn't hurting any more. He smiles a little as they trudge through the brush.

"We should steal another boat," Kano says as the river nears.

“There are probably more soldiers on the river,” Zykun muses. “It is a bigger river after all. They probably expect us to head for it to go north.”

“Then let them expect us. They won’t be able to do anything to stop us,” Kano hisses, clenching her fists. She hears the river through the trees. “Stay here. I’ll go scout ahead.” She motions for them to pause while she ducks through the rest of the trees. A few dozen yards upriver she sees four boats parked by the riverbank with about twenty soldiers milling on and around them. She returns to the group and shares this information. 

“Attacking head on would be suicide. I can ambush them. I’ll swim under the water and surprise them,” Kano plans.

“I’m coming too,” Awatok says. “There are too many for you to take on alone.”

“I just killed a dozen soldiers by myself not an hour ago, let me remind you,” she retorts. 

“They were all in one group. These are spread out among four boats. We can attack from both sides and catch them off guard. It’ll be easier and safer this way,” Awatok reasons, hoping his sister will relent. 

“Alright, fine,” she says. “Let’s go. Zykun, stay here with Huntress. We’ll call for you when it’s done.” Before he can answer, the twins are off, sneaking through the forest.


	17. Continuation

“Hey... do you ever wonder why we're here?” Aztan looks at a fellow soldier as they stand guard on a boat. They’re supposed to be looking out for fugitives, but they might not even come this way and it is awfully boring out here. And hot.

“We’re trying to apprehend fugitives,” Uzo replies simply. He’s never been much for words.

“No, I mean, like... are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or-” His thoughts are interrupted by a great wall of water bursting forth from the river, eliciting shrieks from the men onboard as they’re swept off. Kano lands on the now vacant, slippery wooden deck and attacks the guards on the second boat, swinging a blade of water and ice at their heads, neatly decapitating them. She glimpses her brother ambushing the third boat, working on dispatching the soldiers, and so turns her attention to the firebenders on the ground. She raises a defensive wall, absorbing a few blasts, before sending ice spikes from it to impale the guards. It’s all over in less than a minute. 

Zykun hears the fighting and guides the shirshu upriver in the forest while the twins take out the guards, being careful to stay out of sight. After all is quiet, he emerges. 

“Well done,” he comments grimly at the bodies, noting Kano’s wide grin. 

“Thanks,” she replies as Awatok walks over. “Let’s go then. Which boat’s your favorite?”

"Um, the one without bodies on it," Zykun says, pointing to the first one.

"Reasonable choice," Awatok nods, "I like that one too."

They board the boat and Awatok calls up to Kano, "can you bend the water a little for us once I get the engine started?"

"Of course." Kano stands at the bow and swells the river around the boat, maneuvering it into the river as Awatok starts the engine. 

Soon enough, Awatok has the engine started up, much to Huntress' consternation. She snuffles grumpily and moves as far from it as she can get. Zykun comforts the shirshu by petting her fur, which works to calm her. She nuzzles Zykun's shoulder. Awatok chuckles warmly. "Looks like she likes you."

Zykun smiles, glancing over at him. "Good," he says. "I'm glad we get along."

"Well, anyone would get along with you, you're so kind." Awatok shrugs.

He blushes a little. "Thanks..."

Awatok blushes too, chuckling softly. "You're welcome."

Zykun looks over at him, a smile once again forming on his beautiful lips. The sun is starting to set, sending a wash of golden light over his pale skin.

Awatok feels his breath catch in his throat at the sight of Zykun in the soft light of the setting sun. "Wow, you..."

He blushes a little. "I... what?" The light hits Awatok, making his tan skin glow with an otherworldly aura. He looks... magical.

"You're beautiful," Awatok finishes, moving closer and resting his hand on Zykun's cheek. He meets the other's eyes, then closes his own and leans in to kiss him.

Zykun’s blush deepens and he leans in, meeting into the kiss. He rests one hand on Awatok's waist and one on the boat's railing. "You... you're really amazing," he murmurs when they finally part.

"I could say the same to you," Awatok murmurs, again kissing Zykun tenderly. He brushes his hand up into Zykun's hair, then runs it down over his neck and shoulder. Zykun shivers slightly, partly from the cool breeze and partly from Awatok's touch. He kisses back and slides his arm farther around Awatok's waist, pulling him closer. Awatok wraps his arm around Zykun's shoulders, letting his other hand wander down to Zykun's bum. Zykun blushes deeper and gets very flustered as he feels Awatok's hand slip down his back.

"Are you okay?" Awatok whispers, pausing before he lets his hand follow his fancies any farther.

Zykun nods. "I'm just... not used to this."

"Me, neither," Awatok whispers with a soft, nervous laugh, "But, you just make me want things I'd never really thought about before."

Zykun smiles and blushes even more. "Same here," he murmurs back.

"You're so great," Awatok whispers, happily kissing Zykun again.

"You're better." 

"Not true, because you're the best."

Zykun’s smile falters. "I... I'm not, though..."

"Yes, you are," Awatok smiles reassuringly, "to me, you're the best." He kisses Zykun's cheek, then nibbles his ear.

Zykun sighs, knowing he won’t win this argument. “Fine,” he relents. 

Meanwhile, Kano is standing on the bow of the ship just on the other side of the cabin, facing away. She's clearly irritated by their behavior, but is trying to hide her feeling from her twin because she knows Zykun makes him happy.

"Good," Awatok smiles, pecking another kiss on Zykun's lips before pulling away. He can sense a little of Kano's irritation, despite her trying to hide it, and he doesn't want to be rude.

"Kano, do we have any food left. I'm kind of hungry after all that fighting," Awatok says, stepping away from Zykun and looking over at his twin. 

"I don’t think so," she says, not turning around. "We fed the rest we had to Huntress." Upon hearing her name, Huntress pads over to Kano and snuffles her hands. “You can check the pack, though.”

Awatok kneels down to do just that. "You can look now, Kano..."

"Look?" she asks innocently. "I haven’t the faintest what you mean." Awatok frowns. Yes she does. Why is she always so stubborn?

She glances over her shoulder. "I'm directing the boat. There are a couple rocks in the water I want to avoid."

"Well, okay." That makes sense. When he doesn’t find any more fish, he walks over to the side of the boat and peers into the water. “I’m going to catch some of these fish.”

"Alright. I think we're almost through the rocky patch," Kano replies. “Then I can help you.”

Awatok pulls a few fish from the river. After asking permission, Zykun starts to cook them. 

"I trust you, you know," he says quietly to Zykun, "I really do."

"You do?" Zykun asks quietly, looking up at him. "...why?"

"I've seen you fight beside us, protect us," Awatok answers, "You stay with us when you could leave. Why shouldn't I trust you?"

"I... well, I'm a firebender. That's reason enough not to trust me."

"You're more than a firebender. You're a friend."

"...I'm a friend?" he asks, a small smile crossing his face. He's never really had a friend before. Sure, he was popular in school, but that was mostly because of his talent for firebending and his father’s military status. People only wanted to get close to him for his power. But Awatok... Awatok doesn't care about any of that. There's no reason for him to. Awatok likes him for himself, not for any kind of power or influence.

"Yeah, you're a friend," Awatok nods, smiling at Zykun. He reaches over and gently squeezes the firebender's hand.

"Thank you." Zykun smiles and squeezes back. Things are looking up.

Awatok laughs softly. "Thank you for proving firebenders can be good."

"Thank you for assuming firebenders can be good."

"I don't make assumptions," Awatok corrected gently, "It's a conclusion based on observation and experience."

He smiles again. "Thank you... but you had no reason to think I was good before I helped you escape."

"I had fewer reasons," Awatok shrugged, "But even then, you were less cruel than the guards, and especially than your father. You tried to help us with little gestures, like stopping an unruly guard or giving us food. You were different."

"I... thank you," he says. "I tried to make it easier on everyone... I don't know how successful I was, though, and now that I've left... Azon is probably taking it out on them."

Awatok looks down, frowning. He can't argue with that, though he wishes it wasn't true. "We'll go back for them, if we can, someday."

Zykun nods slightly, but looks away. "We just... need to take down the Phoenix King. Somehow. And restore balance to the world."

"Somehow," Awatok repeats, not looking terribly optimistic, "The Phoenix King has put it so far out of balance, though, and without the Avatar....who knows if we even can put things right?"

"We can try," Zykun says. "We can't rely on the Avatar to magically appear and save the day. We need to try to fix things ourselves."

Awatok nods, meeting Zykun's eyes and looking almost hopeful again. "You're right. We have to try."

Zykun gives him an encouraging smile. "Once we reach the resistance we'll figure this out."

Awatok glances out over the river. "I hope we get there soon."

"We still have a long way to go," Zykun points out. "This river will eventually end, then we have to cross a desert and then a lake."

"Well," Awatok sighs, "No point getting dreamy about it yet, I guess."

"Yeah, but eventually we'll get there. I know we will."

"I know," he says, squeezing Zykun's hand again, "we'll get there."

Zykun smiles and squeezes back. He jumps a little as Kano lands on the deck behind Awatok.

"We're out of the rocky area now and in deeper waters," she reports.

Awatok turns to look up at Kano behind him, not letting go of Zykun's hand. "That's good news. Do you want some fish?"

"Definitely," she says. "I'm starving. We should probably replenish our stocks before we hit the desert."

"Well, I'm sure there's plenty in the river," Awatok says. He hands her several fish, then stands up and walks to the edge of the boat. There are many swimming around and he bends a few water bubbles full of them up onto the deck. Zykun watches intently, admiring Awatok as he moves. The waterbender glances back at Zykun, then blushes and looks away. Kano rolls her eyes. They're ridiculous.

When he's finished bending them onto the ship, Awatok sits down to prepare the fish for cooking, using his knife to scale and gut them. Kano joins him with her own. 

Zykun leans on the railing and looks at Huntress. "Would you like some?" he asks, offering the shirshu some fish. Huntress snatches up the offered fish, eating it happily, and then looks expectantly at Zykun, who offers her the rest. Greedily, she polishes them off, snuffles, looking for more, and upon realization that there aren’t, lays down for a nap.

“It's starting to get dark," Kano observes as Zykun’s fire lights up their small boat as he cooks the fish. 

"Did you want first watch while we sleep, or should I take it?" Awatok asks his twin.

"I can take it," Kano says, "unless you want to." She glances between the two.

"Then I will," Awatok decides, glancing at Zykun as well. The firebender awkwardly looks between the two. Kano confirms that she’ll take the second shift. After a quick meal, the trio sets up their bedrolls and Kano and Zykun settle in to sleep.


	18. Nighttime Occurances

Awatok watches the sun set as the boat putters down the river. He waits for Kano to fall asleep, then tiptoes over to Zykun's bed and whispers, "are you awake still?"

Zykun cracks his eyes open. "Yeah," he replies quietly, rolling over. "I... I couldn't sleep."

Awatok frowns. "Why not?"

"I dunno... just thinking about stuff."

"Well, I was hoping you'd still be awake..." Awatok admits, smiling shyly.

"Is Kano asleep?" he asks, sitting up.

"Yeah, he's asleep. Fast asleep."

Zykun likes the sound of that. "How can you be sure?" He doesn't want to wake him.

"I can sense it, I guess you'd say." Awatok shrugs. "If he starts to wake up, I'll know."

"You can sense it?" Zykun asks, looking between them.

Awatok nods, blushing. "Yeah. It's kind of weird, I know."

"It's not weird, that's... really cool. So can you, like, read each other's thoughts?"

"No, just feelings, and I always have a general sense of where he is, if he's nearby enough."

"That's amazing. Is it because you're twins?"

"Must be." He shrugs. "What else could it be?"

"I dunno. It must be useful, though, and nice... to be that close to one person."

"It is, yeah. It's the strongest bond I've ever felt. I couldn't live without Kano."

Zykun smiles slightly, then it fades. "Awatok... I know Kano doesn't like me. If... if being with me ever jeopardizes your relationship with him... please don't hesitate to leave me behind. I know you'll always choose him over me and... and that's okay."

Sadness washes over Awatok's face. "I'm aiming to not have to choose," he says, "Kano understands how I feel about you....even if he doesn't like you, which I think is changing."

"Just... if it comes down to it... don't hesitate to save him instead of me. You might lose us both if you do."

Awatok looks down. How can Zykun be so self-sacrificing? It hurts in his chest to think about choosing Kano over Zykun. It hurts even more because he knows that's exactly what he would do. 

"But let's not think about that. It probably won't ever come to it. We're all fantastic benders anyhow,” Zykun continues.

Awatok nods, eager to stop thinking about it. "Exactly. It would have to get really bad if you were both unable to save yourselves. It shouldn't ever come to that."

"Yeah, and now that I'm healed thanks to you, I can actually fight again." Zykun smiles.

Awatok smiles back. "Any time, Zykun."

A silence falls between then and Zykun fiddles with his fingers. After a few moments, he speaks up again. "Why... did you want to know if I was awake?"

With a shy smile, Awatok reaches out to hold Zykun's hand. "Because I didn't think it would be as nice to kiss you while you were sleeping."

Zykun flushes a deep red, barely visible in the moonlight, and looks up at Awatok. "No, I... imagine not."

Awatok's smile grows. He leans in and gently kisses Zykun, wrapping his arms around his waist. Zykun embraces him, sliding his arms around Awatok's neck and pulling him close. The waterbender leans back against the side of the boat and pulls the other into his lap, his hands slipping down to squeeze Zykun’s ass, eliciting a gasp and deepening blush from the other. He recalls the last time they were in this position in the river. He doesn't want to mess things up again. Slowly, Awatok lets his hands wander over Zykun's back, then over his thighs as they kiss. His cheeks are on fire, he feels warm from his heart all the way through his fingertips. Zykun's skin tingles pleasantly wherever Awatok's hands touch it. He sets about exploring the other man's body and slips his hands under Awatok's shirt. The waterbender tenses in surprise, but then relaxes into the touch. Zykun's hands are cool against his skin and he shivers in pleasure.

"You okay?" Zykun murmurs.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Awatok murmurs. "Very okay..." He kisses Zykun's neck.

"Oh," Zykun breathes, tilting his head to give Awatok better access. Sparks of electricity jolt through him wherever Awatok kisses. He gasps again as the man nibbles his skin, then bites his lip to silence himself in fear of disturbing Kano. 

"Sorry," Awatok whispers, after pausing a moment to make sure Kano showed no signs of waking, "did that hurt?"

"No, it- it was really... nice," Zykun softly replies.

"Oh," Awatok murmurs with a blush and a smile. He nibbles Zykun's skin again in the same spot, then kisses it. Zykun inhales again and runs a hand up through Awatok's hair, pulling his shirt up and over his head. Sliding down a smidge, he kisses and bites Zykun's collarbone while his hands roam over the firebender's chest.

"Ooh," Zykun breathes, running his hands over Awatok's tan, muscular back, exploring every muscle, every vertebrae, every inch of beautiful skin. He feels the other man shiver under his fingers, though not from the cold. Zykun gasps as the other pinches his nipple and leaves a bite mark on his chest. Blushing deeply, he lies down, pulling Awatok with him. 

Awatok blushes brightly as they very suddenly change positions. "Um...hi."

"Hi," Zykun replies, wide smile plastered over his face. 

"Hi," Awatok repeats, blushing, then kisses Zykun more heatedly, pressing their bodies close. The firebender returns the kiss and tousles his hair before gently biting his collarbone. Awatok gasps softly, smiling and leaning into the kisses.

"You like that?" Zykun murmurs.

"Yeah, I do," Awatok whispers.

"Good." He flips them over so Awatok is beneath him, then nibbles at his collarbone again, experimenting. Awatok runs his hands through Zykun's hair, then grips it, moaning softly. Zykun starts kissing down Awatok's chest and briefly wonders if his nipples are as sensitive as a girl's. He decides to find out by gently licking one.

"Ah-" Awatok gasps, "wow-"

Zykun chuckles. "Good," he murmurs, lightly sucking it.

Awatok holds back a moan, not wanting to wake Kano, but his grip in Zykun's hair grows tighter.

"Zykun..." Awatok whisper passionately, "come here." He gently pulls Zykun in for a tender kiss, who eagerly complies. Awatok smiles at Zykun as he pulls away, then turns his head and nibbles Zykun's ear, running his hand down to squeeze his bum. Zykun chuckles and kisses his collarbone. Awatok trails kisses down to Zykun's neck and explores the curve of his lower back.

"Mm," Zykun murmurs slightly, running his hands over Awatok's chest again.

"You like that?" Awatok whispers, smiling.

"Yeah," he murmurs.

“Good.” He flicks his tongue over Zykun's nipple, then gently sucks it.

"Mmm, do that more," he gasps. “Aah, you’re turning me on-” He can feel himself hardening from all the excitement. 

"Well, that's what I'm supposed to do, right?" Awatok chuckles shyly. He flips them over again before kissing Zykun's chest, flicking his tongue over his nipple again and gently pinching the other.

"Well, um, yeah..."

Awatok runs his hand down Zykun's body, lingering at the top of his pants. "Is it okay if I....um...?"

Zykun blushes wildly. "Um, y- yeah," he says, a nervous note in his voice. Sure, he's been with girls before, this is nothing new, except that Awatok is a guy and he’s never been with a guy.

Awatok hesitates, apprehensive, but gently kisses Zykun all the same before sliding his hand into the firebender's pants. Unsure of himself, he touches Zykun's cock gingerly.

"Mmmh," the firebender responds, tensing as sparks flood through him. His hands travel down to Awatok's pants and he unlaces them, pushing them down enough to experimentally stroke the waterbender's.

"Ohh," Awatok murmurs, enjoying the touch. Zykun’s hands are magical, every movement sends waves of pleasure through him. He kisses Zykun's neck, imitating his motion and stroking the man’s cock a few times. Zykun murmurs pleasantly and kisses Awatok, returning the favor. Awatok moans softly into the kiss, his strokes growing more confident. If Zykun feels anywhere as good as he does, things must be going well. He pulls away, panting, and stares into the other man’s golden eyes. Zykun gasps a little as the pace picks up and runs his free hand through Awatok's hair, pulling back to breathe.

"This is... great," Awatok whispers, cheeks flushed, and grins.

Zykun smiles. "More than great. You're amazing," he murmurs, kissing his nose and picking up the pace.

Awatok gasps, kissing Zykun again. He strokes faster, experimentally shifting from a light grip to a tighter grip with each stroke.

"Mmh," Zykun exclaims as quietly as he can, copying the motions. "That- nnh, that's really good-"

"Ah- y-yeah?" Awatok pants happily, holding back a moan, "I- I like it too."

"Mmm," he murmurs, kissing him again. He's beginning to get more confident, and also curious. He slides Awatok's pants down further. "Mm, hang on, I want to try something." He remembers girls doing it to him, and he's always been curious as to how it feels from the giving end. He flips them over again and kisses down Awatok's stomach. Briefly he hesitates above his cock before taking the tip in his mouth, running his tongue around the point.

Awatok waits quizzically as Zykun kisses down his stomach, cheeks flushed. Then he gasps and moans softly. "O-oh, wow...that's..."

Zykun hums a bit and takes more in, rather enjoying the sensation. He pulls back and pushes down again, as far as he can go. Awatok shudders in pleasure, tangling his fingers into Zykun's hair. He presses down on Zykun's head, encouraging. Zykun responds by picking up the pace and sucking harder, using his hand when he needs to catch his breath. Awatok moans as quietly as he can manage, his hips rocking slowly toward Zykun's mouth.

"You like it?" Zykun asks as he comes up for air.

"Yeah," Awatok breathes, "You're g- good at this..."

"I must be a natural," he replies with a small smirk. "I’ve never done this before." At least from the giving end, but he doesn’t want to remind Awatok that he’s had previous girlfriends and potentially ruin the mood. 

"I'd have never guessed," Awatok praises with a smile. Zykun chuckles and descends again, working Awatok towards his climax. 

Awatok moans appreciatively, gripping Zykun's hair. His pleasure builds with each passing moment, until finally he feels it peaking. He gasps almost in surprise as he climaxes, clamping a hand over his mouth so he won’t wake Kano. He can’t believe they’re doing this three feet away from his sleeping twin. 

Zykun wasn't expecting him to climax so soon and pulls back, gagging slightly. He coughs and wipes his mouth.

"Sorry," Awatok murmurs, still a bit hazy and flushed, "I didn't expect that to happen so fast..."

"It's okay," he replies. "I'm glad you liked it."

Awatok smiles and leans down to gently kiss Zykun. "Your turn," he teases, pushing him onto his back. He reaches down to stroke Zykun's cock again. Curious, he tries to bend the blood inside, watching for Zykun's reaction.

"Oh-!" he exclaims, not expecting Awatok to suddenly touch him like that. "Oh!!" What was that?! He's never felt that before, and he notices Awatok's hand- is he bending his blood?!

"It doesn't hurt, does it?" Awatok whispers, but continues bending the blood in what he hopes is a pleasurable way.

"No- wow- that's just- nngh- really weird," he gasps, gripping the cool wood beneath his fingers and arching his back. Awatok leans down and wraps his lips around the tip of Zykun's cock, running his tongue over it.

"Oh-" Zykun gasps, pleasure flooding through him. "Oh mmmn!"

Awatok sucks lightly and moves his mouth a little forward, trying to copy Zykun's earlier actions, while his hand continues to stroke and bloodbend.

In seemingly no time at all, Zykun can feel himself beginning to climax.

"Nngh- oh yes-" he exclaims quietly as he does, squeezing his eyes shut to revel in the wondrous feeling.

Awatok moves back, coughing and surprised, but then grins. He is terribly pleased that he made Zykun climax like that. Zykun lies there, panting. He's exhausted.

"Mmmh, that was good," he breathes.

Awatok moves up and curls his arm around Zykun, resting his chin on the top of the firebender's head. "No, it was great," he whispers.

He chuckles and wraps his arms around Awatok. "No, it was amazing."

"No, it was wonderful." Awatok kisses Zykun's cheek. "Just like you."

Zykun smiles. "And you."

"We make a good pair."

"Mm, we do... I'm glad you're happy."

"Are you happy too?"

He nods. "Yeah. Very much."

"Good," Awatok smiles, kissing Zykun again and pulling him closer.

Zykun kisses back and runs a hand through Awatok's hair. "You're so attractive," he murmurs.

Awatok blushes. "I'm just average," he murmurs shyly, "You're the attractive one."

"You're more than average," he murmurs back.

"...if you say so," Awatok concedes.

"I do say so," he murmurs. "Besides, I'm the average one."

"No, you're beautiful," Awatok whispers, brushing his hand over Zykun's cheek, "You're like a painting, or a sculpture."

He blushes and smiles. "I hope a good painting or sculpture."

"Of course a good one," Awatok laughs.

"Thank you," he murmurs, resting his head against Awatok's chest.

Awatok smiles contentedly, wrapping his arm around Zykun's shoulders. "Sweet dreams," he whispers, sensing Zykun might fall asleep soon. Just before he falls asleep he realizes that their pants are still down, so he pulls them up. Kano catching them like this would make for an awkward morning.


	19. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit! I'm not dead. I finally got a nice long chapter edited for you guys who still read this, spurred on by the two (yes two!!) comments I got in the past month. I appreciate it, to know that people are actually reading this and care enough to comment on it. So here's an update, finally, but I can't promise any sort of reliable posting schedule, especially since school's coming up and it's going to be a really tough semester. But I'll try to crank out a few more before the summer's ended!

Awatok wakes first, clumsily rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sits up and flushes a bright crimson hue as he sees Kano up and keeping watch. Immediately he checks his clothes; yes, he did remember to pull up his pants. "Um, morning," he stammers, catching Kano’s eye. 

"Good morning," she replies neutrally from atop the cabin. Apparently she likes high places. Or maybe it's just that she can see better from up there.

"Did you sleep well?" Awatok asks, feeling quite awkward.

"Yeah. Did you two?" 

Awatok clears his throat, looking away. "Y-yeah. Sorry about messing up the watch. And, ah... and... well, sorry."

"It's fine. You're happy." She sigh. "I just... want you to be happy."

Awatok smiles slightly, relieved that she’s not mad. "I want the same for you, though, Kano. If it ever gets too upsetting for you, I..."

Kano shakes her head. "I just don't like the whole ‘firebender’ thing. It'll just... take me some time to get over it. You can’t help who you love.” She rubs her forehead.

"Yeah," Awatok murmurs. He climbs up next to Kano and gives her a hug, feeling like he betrayed her somehow. Kano hugs back. She obviously doesn’t like the arrangement, and even though Zykun’s a firebender, he’s not bad. She looks over at the other boy to see him waking up. He realizes they’re staring and blushes deeply, scrambling to sit up. 

"Oh! Morning," Awatok smiles at Zykun, following his twin’s line of sight.

"Um- morning," Zykun stammers. Oh shit. Kano knows, he totally knows. What's he going to do??

Awatok glances between them, then nudges Kano. "He's scared of you," he whispers.

"I know," she replies. Zykun doesn't meet her eyes.

"Could you say something reassuring?" Awatok asks, "For me?"

"I don't know what to say." She really doesn’t want to talk to him. 

"Say you're not going to kill him for sleeping with me," Awatok suggests.

"That seems really blunt."

"Then just smile at him or something. Look friendly."

She frowns a little, then looks back at Zykun, who's nervously fiddling with his hands, head downcast. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Uh- you aren't?" He looks back up at the twins, glancing between them.

"No."

"Thank you," Awatok whispers, squeezing Kano's hand. He smiles at Zykun.

Zykun looks down at his hands, then back up at the twins. "Um, o- okay... thank you..."

"So, let's have some breakfast," Awatok says, hopping down to get out some fish. Huntress wakes up at the same moment, yawning and stretching.

"Sounds good to me," Kano says, following him.

"Can you heat them up?" Awatok asks, holding four fish toward Zykun.

"Oh, yeah, um, of course," he says, taking the fish and heating them. Huntress nudges him, looking at the fish hungrily. Smiling, Zykun hands one to her. She gobbles it up, then looks at him for more. Awatok chuckles. "I think we're going to go through fish a lot faster now." He tosses her a cold fish from the bag, and she catches it in the air.

"She's going to eat a lot," Zykun says.

"Well, as long as we're by a river it won't be a problem," Kano replies. Awatok takes one of the warm fish from Zykun and starts to eat, while Huntress eats more from the bag. Kano accepts the one Zykun offers.

"We should train, to pass time while we're traveling," Awatok suggests once they’re satiated.

"Good plan," Kano says. "Though this boat's not that big. Not a lot of room to move around in."

"True." Awatok frowns thoughtfully. 

"But we could still practice," she says, “though not extensively.”

"We can at least work on forms," Awatok nods, "and we don't need much space to practice bloodbending.”

"This is true," Kano says. She flicks her hand and suddenly Awatok's flies up and smacks his face. She laughs as her brother scowls at her. He jerks his arms back and Kano's legs fly out from under her.

"Ah!" she exclaims, hitting the deck. She pulls Awatok down with her and they wrestle for a minute until Kano successfully pins him, then helps him up.

“Having your blood bent feels strange,” Awatok observes. 

"Yeah it does.”.

"Even bending it is different. It's not as smooth as water."

"Yeah, it's like trying to bend sludge."

"Exactly.”

"It's quite interesting. Here, try to keep me from raising your arm." Awatok nods, focusing his mind on keeping his arm still. Kano attempts to bend it. His arm stays still, but starts to shake."It's a lot harder now that you're resisting."

"Can you move it, though?" he challenges.

"I'm trying.” Kano jerks her arms and wrenches his up. “There. Wow, that’s difficult. You need more force than with regular water.”

"Kinda hurts, too," Awatok observes, rubbing his arm.

"Really? Yeah, I guess it would."

"Only when I'm resisting it, though," Awatok adds, "otherwise, it just tingles."

"Fascinating."

They practice bloodbending as the sun crawls by overhead and Zykun watches curiously, wondering if there are any other applications of fire or lightning bending. He doubts it. Water is versatile, it's life, it's everywhere... fire is just destruction.

Near the end of the day, worn out from practice, Awatok leans against the side of the boat and shuts his eyes. "I haven't been this happy to be so exhausted in years."

Kano chuckles and plops down next to him. "Same here." She leans on his shoulder. "Hmm... Zykun, why don't you do one of your forms? You've hardly done anything all day." Zykun looks up from where he's leaning against Huntress.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, sure, why not. Just don't burn anything."

"I won't," he says, standing up and stretching. Awatok smiles. He likes to watch Zykun bend; it's the only time firebending has looked beautiful rather than terrifying.

"Alright, um... this is a form I made up myself," he says. "It doesn't really... I mean, it's not... aggressive, like normal forms, it's more of... a dance."

Awatok's smile grows. "All right. Show us," he encourages.

Zykun blushes a little and nods, then starts to move with a fluidity that only comes from years of practice and dedication. Fire swirls around him, but it’s not what the twins expect from firebending. Instead of being aggressive, the fire flows around him, accenting his movements, almost like water. It makes for quite the beautiful dance. Awatok stares, his mouth hanging slightly open. This is even more impressive than Zykun’s bending in battle... this is art.

"Wow," Kano says after Zykun finishes with a flash. That was quite impressive, she has to admit.

"It, um, it'd be better if I was in a bigger space," he says. "The boat's kind of cramped so I had to modify it a bunch."

"It was great as it was," Awatok assures.

"Really?" Zykun says with a smile. "I... I've never showed it to anyone before."

"Well, it's worth showing. I've never seen firebending like that. More people should know about it."

"Not many would accept it though, I don't think; it's not aggressive, like most firebending."

"That's exactly why it's so important to show it to people!"

"I guess," he concedes. "It's really just dancing while bending, though. I'm sure other people have thought of it, too."

"You never know." He shrugs, smiling happily at Zykun.

"Yeah, I guess not." He smiles back.

"Have you made up any other dances like that?"

"Um, a few, yeah."

"Fascinating. You're a good dancer," Kano says.

"Really?" Zykun smiles again, thrilled to get praise from Kano.

"Yeah."

"See? It's not just me who thinks so."

"Thank you, guys... I appreciate it.”

Awatok chuckles, happy the group is getting along better. Kano smiles and ruffles Awatok's hair.

"It's getting late again," Kano observes, looking up at the setting sun. "We've been traveling all day."

"It didn't feel like traveling," Awatok notes, glancing up at the sky, "Zykun, let's take out your map before the light fades. Maybe we can figure out how far we went today."

"Alright," Zykun says, going and digging his map out of his pack. He spreads it out on the deck and looks around, calculating the angle of the sun and using his compass. Awatok moves to sit next to him, trying not to stare. He sees now what the firebender meant when he complimented Awatok's concentration face. Zykun is very handsome when he works.

"I estimate we traveled about 500 miles since we got this boat. We've been traveling nonstop after all. We still have a ways to go, though."

"Still, we're making good progress."

"Yeah," Zykun says. "It'll be probably another couple of days until we reach the end of the river, then we'll have to walk across the desert until we reach the Serpent's Pass. Then we cross it and we'll be almost to Ba Sing Se... or what's left of it."

Awatok looks away. "I've heard stories that it used to be the most beautiful city in the Earth Kingdom," he says wistfully.

"It was," Zykun says. "I've seen pictures... but only in the context of them destroying it. I could see that it was once a lovely place."

"I don't see why they had to destroy it," Awatok murmurs, "It's bad enough to conquer and terrorize the people, why destroy their history too?"

"I don't know. They taught us that it was a cleansing of the world, a new beginning of rejuvenation and such... but it wasn't. Millions of people died. It wasn't a new beginning. It was genocide."

"Maybe they can't tell the difference," Awatok mutters, sounding rather bitter.

"Maybe," Zykun says, glancing up at the twins. Kano is glaring off the side of the boat. He fears he said something wrong.

"Don't worry about him," Awatok whispers, patting Zykun's shoulder. "Stay here." He gets up and walks to Kano's side by the shirshu. Huntress nuzzles Awatok to say hello, then rests her head on Kano's arm. 

"Kano...what's wrong?" Awatok asks, gently touching her hand.

"You know what's wrong," Kano growls. "They killed _everybody_. They killed our parents, our entire tribe!! And who they didn't kill, they captured!!"

"They haven't captured everyone," Awatok says. "There's the resistance, and there's us. Someday, we'll take back what they stole."

"It won't ever be the same."

"I know," Awatok whispers, wrapping his arms around her. Kano hugs back as Zykun quietly packs his map and compass away, moving to the far end of the boat away from them. Awatok is silent, just holding Kano close for as long as she needs. He knows no words will help her pain, not this time. She holds him close, her anchor, her twin, the one who keeps her sane. 

"We're going to make a life again," Awatok finally whispers, "not like before, but maybe a nice one, if we can. You'll see."

"Yeah. We'll try to fix this, rebuild as much as possible. We're just... we're just two tiny humans, up against a whole army of death and pain."

"We'll find a way. When we find the resistance, we'll figure something out."

"Yeah." Kano nods and takes a deep breath. "I'm okay."

Awatok kisses her forehead and smiles gently. "I'm glad." They stand at the rail, looking out over the forest at the setting sun, and Kano pulls some water from the river, enjoying the freedom to bend whenever she wants. After a few minutes, she splashes some in Awatok’s face with a chuckle. “Gotcha."

“Hey!” Awatok gasps, grinning and splashing her in return. She laughs and bends it away.

"Thanks for cheering me up."

"Anytime, Kano. What are twins for?"

"Hmm, twins are for practicing bloodbending on and splashing with water," she says with a chuckle.

"And also cheering up." Awatok smiles. "They have all sorts of uses."

"I agree." She kisses his cheek. Awatok returns the kiss, then Huntress butts her head in to nuzzle them both on the face, eliciting a smile from Kano.

”You want some attention too, huh?" Huntress snuffles in affirmation, ruffling Kano's hair with her nose.

Kano chuckles. "Hey, don't mess up my hair." Huntress, not caring, exhales into Kano's hair, blowing it around. Kano laughs and runs a hand through her short hair, making it fall back into place.

"Better," Awatok smiles, only to be nuzzled so hard in the side by Huntress that he wobbles.

Kano grins. "She's a strong one."

"Seems that way."

"Must take after us." 

"Like father, like shirshu. That's the old saying, right?" Awatok teases.

"I think so, yeah.” Awatok rolls his eyes, chuckling, and Kano playfully hits him on the shoulder, then dodges Awatok’s attempt to retaliate, catching his arm and putting him in a headlock. 

"Augh!" he exclaims, but is laughing all the while.

"Here Huntress, mess up his hair!" Kano exclaims, turning him towards the shirshu. Huntress snuffles curiously, then uses her nose to muss up Awatok's hair as he half-struggles to escape his twin. "How could you? Such betrayal!" Kano laughs and finally releases him. Awatok, still laughing, attempts to smooth his hair down, with little success.

"How do you like them apples?" Kano teases.

"Not terribly much," Awatok huffs, barely holding back giggles.

"Mmm, now I want apples. Hey Zykun, keep an eye out for-" She stops as she looks over at him, sitting on the side of the boat between the cabin and the railing, head in his hands. She frowns a little and glances at Awatok, who looks over at Kano’s sudden stop. He frowns and walks over to Zykun, who sighs and turns his head away.

"Zykun...did something happen?" Awatok asks, voice laced with concern. It doesn't look like he was crying, but something's definitely wrong. Zykun shakes his head. "You look upset..."

"I'm fine. Really." 

"All right..." Awatok frowns. What is Zykun hiding? He doesn't want to push too hard and upset him more, but at the same time, he doesn't want Zykun to bottle up his sadness. Finally, Zykun takes a deep breath and looks up at him. 

"It's just... I hate what the fire nation has done. I feel responsible... because I'm one, too."

Awatok reaches out to hold Zykun's hands. "You weren't even alive when they did that."

"I know, but... inherited sin."

Awatok looks down, frowning. After a moment, he says, "well. What if you devoted yourself to repairing that sin?"

"I'm trying to."

"You're doing a good job so far."

"...thanks," he murmurs. Awatok squeezes his hand gently and Zykun laces his fingers with Awatok's and squeezes back. Awatok smiles shyly, blushing, but then moves closer to Zykun. "I believe in you," he whispers.

Zykun glances at him, then smiles ever so slightly. "Really?"

"Really," Awatok nods, then boldly kisses Zykun's cheek.

Zykun smiles slightly and blushes deeply. "Thank you..."

Awatok chuckles. "You're welcome."

"You're so nice to me," he murmurs, leaning against him.

Awatok puts his arm around Zykun. "You deserve it..."

"I... I'm glad you think so," he murmurs.

Awatok blushes, smiling just a little. "I'll get you to think so, too, someday."

"I hope so," he murmurs.

Awatok squeezes him a little tighter. "You'll see." Zykun smiles and kisses Awatok's cheek. Awatok blushes even more, chuckling shyly.

"I like your laugh," Zykun says. "It's nice."

"You do?" he asks, "...thank you." Zykun smiles and leans against him, watching the sun set as the boat trundles along.


	20. Night on the River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter, short and sweet, to let you guys know I'm not dead and haven't forgotten about this. College is pretty crazy right now, but I hope to get another chapter out over the Thanksgiving break. They're nearing the end of the river, thankfully, but their journey is far from over.

Night falls. They slumber. Kano takes the first watch and a few hours into it Huntress raises her head and stares behind them at the empty, black river, a low growl forming in the back of her throat. Kano reflects on whether or not a creature with no eyes can stare as she looks behind them, frowning.

"What is it?" she asks quietly, slipping over to the shirshu and resting a hand on the beast's side. Huntress turns her head to nuzzle Kano's shoulder, then looks back into the darkness and growls again. There is a faint sound of an engine, easy to miss. Oh shit. The Fire Nation must have caught up to them. Kano slips over to the boys and quietly wakes them.

"Awatok, Zykun, shh," she whispers. "We're being followed. Another boat." Awatok wakes up quickly, almost asking what's wrong before Kano answers his question. 

"How close?" he whispers instead as Zykun props himself up beside him.

"Can't tell," she replies. "Not very."

"We could try to outrun them," Awatok suggests, "Run the engine faster and lose them during the night."

"We risk running out of gas if we do that," Zykun says.

Awatok frowns. "Well...we could slow down and attack them when they catch up."

"We could ambush them again," Kano suggests, "from underwater."

"What if we run into the boat by accident?" Awatok challenges, "We can't see in the dark, Kano."

"...right. Damn. I suppose we could slow a bit... they do seem to be catching up."

"And then jump over and ambush them from above?" Awatok suggests.

"Yeah," Kano says.

"But since they're following us... don't you suspect they already know we're here?" Zykun points out.

"Doesn't mean we can't still fight them."

"They don't know we know they're there, though," Awatok points out.

"I suppose not," Zykun says.

"They're fools to take on two waterbenders on a river," Kano says with a grin. "Let's slow down and let them catch up."

Zykun nods, hurrying to adjust the engine and slow down the ship. Soon, the boat following them begins to catch up and Huntress' growling grows more insistent.

"Shh, Huntress, it's okay," Zykun whispers, running a hand across her side. Huntress snuffles and nuzzles Zykun's chest, on edge. Awatok glances at Kano, waiting for a signal to attack. She waits, eyes straining. The moon is waning from full, but it still casts enough light to see the dim shape of the nearing boat in the distance. Awatok tenses, ready to spring into action. Huntress whines softly.

"When they get closer," Kano says in a whisper, "on my mark, Zykun, send a jet of fire over there. We need to see who we're dealing with. Awatok, you and I will leap over as he does so. Get ready." The boys nod and wait for her signal. Kano narrows her eyes, watching for signs of movement on the other boat. There’s a commotion; they’ve been seen.

"NOW!" Kano yells. She leaps, bringing a torrent of water with her to aid her jump and use as a weapon. Zykun shoots a stream of fire overhead, bathing the area in light. Awatok leaps with her, landing in a great splash of water. The soldiers weren’t expecting such a sudden, violent reaction and scramble to fight back as the twins tear through them. Awatok whips two of them off their feet as Kano freezes three in blocks of ice. She pulls more up from the river to block the fire streaming at them. Zykun and Huntress leap across, aiding where they can. The four of them make short work of the woefully inadequate Fire Nation force. 

"Well that was fun," Kano says as the dust settles. "Let's take their fuel for our boat, then burn this one. Could we get some more light, Zykun?" He complies, bending a few fireballs above the boat.

"Thanks." Awatok smiles. He begins bending the fuel from one tank to the other. Kano finds some extra fuel canisters and hops back over to their boat, now side-by-side. The other three follow and she bends the river, maneuvering the boats apart. Zykun immolates the other and they watch it burn as they float away. Huntress is far more content now, and nuzzles each of them in turn. Satisfied they're all in one piece, she settles down for a nap.

"That was incredibly satisfying," Kano says with a smile. "I think it's about time we switched shifts, hm? I’m beat."

"That seems fair," Awatok replies. "Go ahead and rest." Kano wastes no time in settling down to sleep.

Awatok sits against the railing, leaning back and looking up at the stars. Zykun sits on his bedroll a few feet away, glancing at Awatok, wondering if anything else if going to happen between them, now that Kano’s asleep. He’d sure like it, but Awatok probably doesn't want to. Instead, he lies down on his back and looks up at the stars.

After a while, when he senses Kano is thoroughly asleep, Awatok asks, "You still up, Zykun?"

"Yeah," Zykun says softly, looking at Awatok's shadowy form in the pale moonlight.

"Do you want to come sit with me?" Awatok asks.

Zykun smiles a little. "That'd be nice." He sits up and scoots over to Awatok.

Awatok puts his arm around Zykun, still watching the stars. "They're beautiful."

"Yeah, they are."

"I've always liked watching them... they wouldn't let us out at night at the farm, though. I missed the stars."

"I'm sorry," Zykun whispers.

"Don't be. I have them back now," he murmurs.

"Yeah, but... the rest of them don't."

Awatok frowns. "No, I suppose not..."

"I'm sorry..."

He holds Zykun tighter, saying nothing in response. He'd rather not dwell on the farm right now, not when he can't do anything to help the people left behind.

"Let's... please... not talk about this right now," Zykun murmurs, tightly hugging Awatok.

"Good idea," Awatok whispers, hugging back.

Zykun takes a deep breath and looks back up at the stars. 

"They're like your eyes," Awatok comments after a few moments of silence.

Zykun’s cheeks tinge with red and he smiles. "And yours. Sparkly and bright."

Awatok blushes. "Yours are more sparkly."

"How can you tell? You can't see your own eyes."

"I've seen Kano's," Awatok points out. "Yours are brighter."

"Kano's eyes aren't your eyes.”

"We're twins. Our eyes ought to be the same."

"They're not. Kano's are... I’m not sure how to explain it, but they're different."

"Huh... Well, I'll take your word for it," Awatok murmurs, leaning in close to Zykun. Another soft silence stretches out between them, until Awatok murmurs, "you're so warm.”

"I'm a firebender," Zykun replies. “We have higher body temperatures."

"Well, I like it."

"I'm glad.”

Awatok blushes and squeezes Zykun's shoulder. He looks up at the waterbender and stretches up, planting a kiss on his cheek. Awatok smiles and turns his head, looking down at Zykun, who blushes, barely visible in the moonlight. They kiss again, twining their arms around each other. Zykun sighs contentedly and leans against him.

"You're amazing," Awatok whispers.

"So are you," he murmurs back. Awatok chuckles and smiles. They spend the remainder of the night cuddled up together, watching the stars until they fade in the coming day's light.


	21. Communications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S NOT DEAD
> 
> THIS CHICK
> 
> I think it was thanksgiving at the last update. Well now I'm hoping to get more frequent updates since I have internet at my job now and can work on editing and writing at it.

As the sun starts to rise, Huntress wakes up and stretches. She ambles over to the boys and nuzzles their faces. Zykun giggles as her wet nose wakes him. "Huntress!" he exclaims. She responds by nuzzling him again, then yips happily. He laughs and pets her head. 

Awatok chuckles. "You two getting along?" he teases as Huntress lies down and puts her head on Zykun's chest.

"Apparently," Zykun says as he struggles to sit up under the weight. Huntress is unrelenting and eventually Zykun gives up and rests a hand on her head. Huntress seems to smile, sighing contentedly. Awatok chuckles and kisses Zykun's forehead. Across the boat, Kano yawns and stretches.

"Good morning," Awatok calls to his twin.

"Morning," she replies, sitting up and running a hand through her hair, noticing Zykun’s predicament. “You seem to have something on your chest.”

“Yeah, she’s not moving. She’s decided that I’m her personal headrest now.”

“Well, it’s an important job. Gotta keep the shirshu happy.”

“Oh, indeed.” 

“Anything interesting happen while I was sleeping?” she asks, shifting her attention to her twin.

"No, just stargazing. You got all the excitement for the night."

"Well, good," she says, standing and stretching again.

"We should practice again today," Awatok says.

"I think so, yeah. It's a good way to pass the time," she says. “And it keeps the skills sharp. Goodness knows we need it after those years at the prison farm.”

Awatok nods his agreement, getting up and stretching. His stomach grumbles, and he laughs. "But first, breakfast."

"Mmm, fish yet again," Kano says dryly.

"It's kind of a shame there isn't more to eat," Awatok says, "But, it is a river, I guess."

"We could go hunting," Kano suggests, "see what's in the forest nearby. Deer maybe."

"We'd have to stop the boat," Awatok points out.

"We might get caught if we stop, and it would take longer to get to Ba Sing Se.” She sighs. “Let’s just stick with fish.”

"The faster we get to the end of the river, the better,” Awatok agrees.

"Yeah." Kano looks out over the boat's edge, searching for fish in the water. She sees a school nearby and jumps as a wet nose is suddenly pressed into her back. “Aah! Huntress! Don’t startle me like that.” She scratches the shirshu’s head and spots Zykun chuckling on the other side of the boat. “Did you tell her to do that?” 

“Of course not! She does what she wants. Guess she got bored of pinning me to the ground. Or maybe she’s hungry.” 

“Well, here you go, sweetie.” Kano bends a couple fish out of the water for Huntress to scarf down while she catches more for the people on the boat who don’t appreciate raw fish. “Eat up. These will be scarce in the desert.” 

“We should start stocking up now,” Awatok points out. “When will we get to the end of the river?”

“Probably sometime tomorrow,” Zykun replies, consulting the maps. "We're making good progress.”

“We should start trying to dry out some fish so it’ll last through the desert,” Kano says. 

“I can experiment with trying to dry it out quickly,” Zykun offers. “It... might take a lot of fire though.” 

“That’s fine, I’ll go to the other end of the boat.”

“Alright.” Zykun spends the rest of the day attempting to devise a method to dry out the fish after cooking it, but without burning it. By the end of the day he’s figured out a fairly effective method, but it involves a lot of fire. He cuts the fish into long, thin strips and sets them on the deck, then holds an even sheet of fire over them for hours to dry them out. Obviously, Kano is not pleased with this method and spends the entire day either swimming or sitting on the bow with Huntress, brooding. She knows Zykun isn't like other firebenders and he would never hurt them, but she’s still anxious around fire. Awatok supplies Zykun with plenty of fish to dry and by the end of the day he and Zykun are sitting on top of the small cabin, watching the fire that obscures the entire deck. Periodically, Zykun dissipates it to make sure the wood of the boat hasn’t caught fire, but so far it has been fine.

As night creeps on, Zykun tests the fish and is happy to find that they’re dried out and ready to eat or store. He’s quite happy with this experiment. “Here, try one,” he says, picking up a strip and handing it to Awatok, who bites into it and smiles. 

“It’s certainly dried fish jerky. A little bland, but we can’t really help it. You did really well.” He gives Zykun a smile, which the firebender returns. 

“Are you done with the fire thing?” Kano asks, head appearing above the cabin.

“Yeah,” Zykun says, “for now. Would you like to try it?”

“Sure.” She samples the jerky. “Not bad. Definitely good for storing. We’ll want to make a bunch more tomorrow. For now, let’s have some regularly-cooked fish.” 

Zykun agrees and cooks the fish Kano and Awatok supply for him while Kano feeds Huntress as much fish as she can eat. After, during their own dinner, the twins delight Awatok with a story from their youth involving some stolen fish, penguins, and a very unfortunate lad. By the end, they’re all smiling and laughing, and Zykun realizes that he is, in fact, happy actually happy, here on this boat with the twins in a way that he hasn’t been happy... ever, he thinks. A true contentment. Something must have changed in his smile, for Awatok notices it and inquires after Zykun’s thoughts.

"Just... even though the world's gone to shit, we're still able to laugh and smile with each other and forget the hardships, if only for a few moments."

"Yeah. Those are the important moments," Awatok nods, "the ones that make life worth it."

“Enough with the sappy shit you two, come on,” Kano says, her brusque attitude cutting through the sentiment. “Awatok, let’s practice our waterbending now that he’s not burning down the deck.”

“I didn’t burn it down!” Zykun protests. Kano laughs. 

“Close enough.”

The twins practice their waterbending for a while while Zykun does his leaf-meditation thing. Awatok sits down next to him when they’re done and takes a drink from his waterskin. He watches him quietly, admiring Zykun's meditation. His face looks so serene, and that brings out every bit of his handsomeness. If only he could spend all day looking at him this way. The firebender is unaware of Awatok's intense stare; his eyes are closed and he’s focusing on his breathing and keeping the embers on the leaf in place. Kano looks over and notices her brother’s gaze. _If he stares any harder he'll burn a hole through his face,_ she thinks. Before she can say anything,  Awatok jumps up sheepishly. 

“Sorry. Back to practice." 

Kano watches her brother walk across the deck and a slight frown crosses her face. She didn't actually say anything, but Awatok acted like she did... did he read her mind? Can he do that? They've always been able to sense each other's emotions, but... is it more? Curiously, she tests it by directing her thoughts in her brother’s direction.  _ Can you hear this? _

“Hear what?” Awatok asks, looking at his twin. Kano stares at him, not moving her mouth.

_ Hear my thoughts. Awatok, I think our connection’s growing. You can hear the thoughts I direct at you. Think something back at me. _

Awatok stares at her for a long moment, contemplating this new revelation. They can communicate mentally?  _ This is very strange _ , he finally thinks toward her.  _ I've never heard of this happening. _

_ No one's heard of this happening. Awatok, this is  _ amazing _. We can communicate silently and instantaneously with each other. _

_ Think how useful this could be in a fight! Or even just sneaking in comments to each other when we talk to people. _

_ We can have conversations no one knows about. Coordinate in fights, yes, and fight completely in sync. _ She's getting excited.

_ Kano, your excitement is making me dizzy. _ He chuckles, grinning as he starts to get excited, too. Her emotions are coming through even stronger than normal; they really are in sync. Kano strides over and hugs him tightly, unable to help herself. This is too incredible for words. Awatok tightly hugs her back, spinning around happily in a circle. She exclaims in surprise at suddenly leaving the ground. He sets her back down with a smile. "Got carried away, sorry."

"Oh, I'll carry  _ you _ away!" She trips him and wrestles him to the ground.

"Ack!" Awatok exclaims, wrestling back amidst laughter.

Zykun frowns and opens his eyes at the commotion. "What are you two doing?"

"Wrestling!"

"Kano thinks he can defeat me!" Awatok's voice is full of faked indignance. He knows Kano could kick his butt any day of the week, and he doesn't really mind, but it's fun to pretend he does.

"I don't  _ think _ , I  _ know _ ," Kano says with a laugh, twisting Awatok's arm behind him. Zykun smiles and extinguishes the leaf, watching them. Awatok struggles and manages to break free. They tussle for another few minutes while Zykun watches and ultimately Kano wins by managing to flip Awatok over the side of the boat.

“Was that really necessary?!” he exclaims, treading water. Kano leans on the railing and looks down at him with a shit-eating grin on her face. 

“Of course it was. You know me.”

Awatok sighs resolutely and bends a wave to lift himself back onto the boat, soaking Kano in the process. She laughs and bends them dry. 

“Are you two quite done? I’d like to be able to go to bed without fear of being soaked in my sleep,” Zykun says with a chuckle. 

“Oh, that’s always a danger with us around.” Kano laughs and ruffles his hair. Zykun flinches, then relaxes when he realizes Kano means no harm.

Awatok smiles at them both.  _ You're warming up to him, _ he thinks to Kano.

_ Yeah, I suppose I am, _ she replies, contemplative.

“Well, let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow’s another long day,” Kano says. “I’ll take first watch.”


	22. The Desert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy balls, another chapter, so soon?! Yes indeed. Work is very slow today. I'll probably start working on the next chapter right now, so expect that up soon. Probably Wednesday.

The morning passes slowly with undertones of anxiety and apprehension, mostly from Kano; she doesn’t want to leave the boat and the safety of the river for vast, open, barren desert where anything could go wrong. She barely speaks as she and her twin supply more fish for Huntress to eat and Zykun to dry. They should have plenty to bring with them through the desert by the end of the day, hopefully. They discuss what to do about the water situation and settle on emptying out some fuel canisters and hooking them onto their packs, which Kano and Awatok attend to while Zykun works on the fish. 

The river noticeably narrows as they near the end and Kano’s apprehension grows, which her twin picks up on. 

_ Are you doing alright? _ he asks.

_ I’m fine. I’m just... worried about going into the desert. What if we can’t make it across? What if we run out of food... or water? _

_ We won’t. We’ve prepared enough, and even if we run out of something, we’ll make do. We’re going to survive this, Kano, and get to Ba Sing Se. Trust me. _

_ I do. You know you’re the only one I trust.  _

_ I know. And I’m telling you, we’re going to make it. _ He places a hand on his sister’s arm, comforting her. Huntress senses her worry and nudges her, to which Kano smiles and scratches her head. 

Suddenly, there’s a scraping sound and the boat grinds to a halt. 

“The river’s too shallow,” Awatok observes, peering over the side. 

“We’ll have to walk from here,” Kano remarks. “Zykun, how’s the fish?” 

“Almost done. Maybe we should wait here for a while so I can do another batch? We’ll want to travel at night in the desert and the day’s still young, so we have plenty of time to kill.”

“That’s a good plan,” Awatok agrees. 

They maneuver the boat over to the riverbank and pack up the dried fish before supplying Zykun with some more to strip and dry. Kano and Huntress decide to swim in the shallow river until Zykun’s done with the second batch. Awatok elects to stay on the boat and make sure everything’s packed. 

“What should we do with the boat?” Zykun asks once they’re ready to continue. 

“We should destroy it. No sense in keeping it around, and I don’t want the firebenders to get it. There’s plenty of fuel in the tank.” Kano uncaps it and draws the fuel out, dousing the deck with it. Awatok helps, then they send the boat floating back down the river. Zykun lights it with a flick of his hand and they watch it go up in flames. 

"Wow," Awatok whispers, watching it burn. Even after seeing so much of it, fire is still something that awakens fear and awe in him.

“Right. Let’s go,” Kano says, wanting to get away from the sight. They continue heading north, staying close to the ever dwindling river. Awatok attempts to make smalltalk.

"Have you ever been to the desert before?" he asks Zykun. "We haven't."

"No, I haven't either," Zykun replies. "I’ve seen pictures in books, but never been to one. I've no idea what to expect."

"I've heard it's hot, and the ground is different," Awatok murmurs, "I'm a little apprehensive."

"We'll get through it," Kano says with false confidence, not wanting Zykun aware of her fear. 

"I'm sure we will," Awatok nods, though he is clearly nervous, despite what he said to Kano earlier. Especially about the lack of water. An environment without water seems wrong to him, and Kano shares that belief. 

They walk in silence for a while, each reflecting on their own thoughts. Kano can sense Awatok's quite well and it's rather unnerving. She can feel their bond strengthening and she's excited about it, but at the same time it worries her. They’ll never be able to hide their thoughts from each other if it keeps up like this... and what if they lose their own identities? What if they become so connected they combine into one mind? It's a worrisome thought. She loves her twin, but doesn't want their minds to meld together. To her knowledge, nothing like this has ever occurred before, so she has nothing to refer to for guidance.

They pass the end of the river and stop to fill their water canisters from the spring and quench their thirst before continuing north. Hours are spent in tense silence, having nothing to really talk about. Zykun periodically checks their progress to make sure they’re on track, and Huntress catches the odd small animal to satiate herself. The last of the fresh fish is finished off. Eventually, the trees start to thin and then abruptly give way to desert. They stop in surprise.

"Whoa," Zykun breathes, staring across the vast, endless sand. "It's so... big."

"It's so dry," Awatok whispers, brows knitting with fresh worry. Nothing but earth and more earth...

"We have water," Kano says, though she can't keep a slight tremble out of her voice. "We'll be okay. Let's wait till nightfall, maybe try to hunt something in the meantime."

"Yeah," Awatok nods, turning away from the desert a bit too quickly and heading back into the forest to see if there's anything to hunt. They search around, but in the end it's Huntress who finds and paralyzes a few small animals for them. Then she sits down and looks smug.

Kano ruffles the short hair on her head and smiles. "Thanks, Huntress."

"Living up to her name I see," Zykun says as he prepares and cooks the meat.Huntress nuzzles Kano affectionately. Awatok chuckles and sits next to Zykun to help. 

"Well, thank goodness. I'd never have found those things in time to catch them."

"She's a very good addition to our team. Plus she acts as a nice backrest." Kano sits down and leans against Huntress' side. Huntress snuffles a bit, sniffing Kano, then relaxes. Awatok smiles. "She seems to like it as much as you do," he teases. Kano chuckles and watches Zykun cook the meat. Huntress has already caught and devoured her own dinner, so they don't have to worry about her stealing theirs. Once the meat is done, Awatok portions out three generous servings and packs what's left into his bag for them to eat later.

"It's getting dark," Kano observes as they eat. "We should head back towards the desert when we're done."

"Let's look at the map a bit first," Awatok suggests, "Maybe we can plan how far to walk by sunrise."

Zykun pulls it out. "So we're here," he says, pointing at the edge of the forest. "We have to walk about a hundred miles. I have no idea how long that's going to take."

"Fuck," Kano swears. "That's a long ways."

"Hopefully it'll take us only about a week," Zykun says, "maybe less, if we keep a good pace. At least twenty miles a day.”

Awatok nods thoughtfully, then sighs. "We'll have to move quickly. I don't want to be in the desert longer than we have to, and our food won't last much longer than a week."

Zykun nods. "We might be able to find some animals in the desert, but not many, certainly not enough to sustain us if we run out."

“Which direction are we heading?" Awatok asks, peering over Zykun’s shoulder at the map. "We can use the stars to make sure we don't get lost."

Zykun nods. "And the compass. We’re going northeast, to the serpent's pass. Then we just cross a lake and we're almost to Ba Sing Se."

Awatok nods, smiling hopefully. "So we've got a good plan." He glances at the sky, which is growing darker by the minute. "Let's get going."

They pack up and head out. As they reach the edge of the desert, Kano grips Awatok's hand tightly and squeezes it. She really doesn't want to do this. Awatok squeezes back hard. 

_ We have each other. We can do this, _ he tells her, glad his voice can't waver with uncertainty inside his head.  _ We’ve survived much worse. _

_ Yeah, _ she replies, trying to sound confident.

Still holding her hand in his, Awatok hesitates before stepping onto the sand of the desert. Huntress, oddly impatient, nudges them each forward with a headbutt.

They walk into the desert, each slightly hesitantly. "No turning back," Kano says with a deep breath.

"But it's worth it," Awatok whispers as they hesitantly advance. "Just think about Ba Sing Se, and the resistance. It's worth it."

"It's very worth it," Kano agrees, picking up the pace. "Let's go." Reminded of their objective, the party sets off with a new energy. Zykun wisely keeps his mouth shut through the exchange, fearing upsetting Kano if he interrupts their moment, especially since she’s visibly upset by the desert. 

The night stretches on in silence, the only sounds the wind and their soft footsteps. It’s pleasantly cool, to their surprise, and they notice the occasional animal dart by, around the cacti and scrub bushes. After a long night of walking, they stop as the sun threatens its ascent with the lightening horizon. They set up their bedrolls under a rocky outcropping and Huntress curls up next to them. They eat the rest of the meat and all fall asleep, dead tired after a long day and night of walking, without bothering to set a watch. No one will find them out here. 


	23. The Serpent's Pass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter here, but the next one will be long. Was going to be one, but I decided to split it to make it more manageable and also include another ATLA episode title in my work.

The desert is long and seemingly endless as the group sets off the next evening. By the following dawn, they can no longer see any hint of the forest behind them and no hint of the city in front. The days pass by slowly, a monotonous rhythm of sleep, walk, eat, and walk some more. Rarely do they speak; instead conserving their energy to walk farther. Their packs lighten as they drink the water, only a little per day, to stave off both dehydration and insanity while preserving enough to last them through. The dried fish, while not palatable, sustains them through the endless sand well enough that they don’t have to endure hunger, but aren’t completely satisfied. Travelling at night relieves some of the almost unbearable heat of the day and largely prevents sunburns, to pale Zykun’s relief. Huntress is able to capture some of the animals that emerge from hiding from the sun and heat at night to sustain herself with, which the rest of them are thankful for. Their fish would most likely not last if they had to feed the shirshu as well as themselves. 

After four days of walking, Zykun spots a peak in the dawning light. 

“It’s the Serpent’s Pass,” he announces, pointing to the rocky formation, “we’re almost there.” 

“Finally,” Kano mutters. “How far away is it?” 

“Probably about half a day, and it’s already dawn,” Zykun estimates. 

“We could try to reach it today,” Awatok suggests. “Or we could set up camp here and rest first. What do you guys think?”

“Let’s continue on,” Kano says, uncapping her water to take a swig. They’re almost to the lake, so there’s little sense in going thirsty now. Zykun follows suit, seeing as he’s been trying to ignore the sandy taste in his mouth for a while now. 

“I agree,” Awatok says. “The faster we can get there, the faster we can find the rebels.”

“And the lake.” Kano’s priorities may be a little skewed at this point. 

Renewed with the confidence of their destination in sight, they resume their trek. The sun slowly climbs into the sky and beats down on them, but they trudge on, intent on getting to the Pass and the concurring shelter and hope. It grows larger as they near and the sheer size of the jagged path becomes apparent. 

“It looks like it’ll take a day to get across,” Zykun says as they approach the path. The desert has finally subsided and grass lines the area around the lake. The lake! Kano drops her pack and dives in, gleeful to finally be immersed in water. Huntress races in after her, causing a big splash. Awatok chuckles. 

“I think a swim is in order first, then we should probably camp here before attempting to cross,” he says. “There probably won’t be anywhere to sleep on the rocks.”

“Good idea.” They follow Kano down to the lake and all have a relaxing time swimming in the blissfully cool water. The rest of the day is largely uneventful; they eat and all crash to sleep under a tree. They’ve been walking for the better part of a day and a half. 

In the morning, the trio rises and catches some fresh fish for breakfast; they’re all sick of the dried fish they had been eating for days. After a refreshing breakfast, they set up the treacherous path. 

“Abandon hope.” Zykun reads the words carved into the archway. “Well, that’s foreboding.”

Kano scoffs. “What hope? There’s nothing to abandon at this point. The Avatar’s gone and the Earth Nation and Water Tribes have fallen.”

“There’s hope that we can help restore the world, and that there is a resistance. I’m not abandoning that,” Awatok points out. “We can’t.” 

“Whatever. Let’s just go,” Kano says, walking through the archway and starting up the steep path. The boys follow her, each harboring his own thoughts about abandoning hope. Neither think that’s a good idea. 

“I wonder why it’s called the Serpent’s Path,” Awatok observes as they start a steep descent. “It’s mostly straight.”

“Maybe because it curves up and down?” Zyun suggests. 

“We may have come to a bit of a snag,” Kano says, pointing to the path ahead. The Path descends into the water and reemerges only after a far ways. “We’ll have to go underwater to continue. Awatok and I will bend the water around us.” 

Kano’s strategy works for the most part, until a large shadow passes by the bubble. 

“What was that?” Zykun asks, trying to peer through the water.

“What was what?” Awatok asks, looking around.

“That big shadow. There it- oh shit!!” Before he can finish his sentence, a giant serpent crashes through their bubble and attempts to eat Awatok. Luckily, he manages to roll out of the way in time. Kano swirls the water around them and encases them in a bubble of ice, which she shoots up to the surface to get away from the serpent while mentally checking that her twin is alright, which he confirms. 

“I guess we know why it’s called the Serpent’s Path now,” Zykun observes as he stands from where he fell on the ice. Kano reforms the bubble into a raft and bends the water around it to send it shooting forward to the other side of the pass. The serpent bursts out of the water behind them and Zykun deters it with a few fireballs, accompanied by Awatok’s ice spikes. Responding to their show of force, the serpent slinks off and they manage to safely get to the other side. 

“Well that was exciting,” Kano says. “Everyone alright?” She checks over Huntress to make sure the shirshu wasn’t anything more than wet. Awatok and Zykun voice their affirmations and the group continues on, no worse for wear. 

Not long after they exit the pass, the ground rumbles beneath them.

“Did you feel that?” Kano asks. 

“Yeah. What-” Awatok doesn’t get to finish his sentence as approximately twenty people explode from the ground and surround them. Kano immediately rips the water from her canteen and attempts to lash out at the nearest earthbender, but he erects a wall that the water harmlessly splashes against. Huntress paralyzes one of the aggressors before she’s muzzled by rock. The trio finds their hands bound in stone behind them before anyone else can act.


	24. The Resistence

“What the hell is this?! Who are you?!” Kano spits at them. 

“I think the more important question is, who are _you?_ ” A woman steps forward, not much older than they are, Kano estimates, a short, tan woman sporting Earth Nation clothing and light brown hair pulled back in a tight bun. 

“I’m Awatok, this is Kano,” Awatok interjects before Kano can retort and make the situation worse. “We’re waterbenders, from the Northern Tribe. Or what was left of it. And that’s Zykun. And this is Huntress. She just kind of fell in with our group in our travels.” 

“Zykun?” the woman repeats, noticing the Fire Nation name. Her cold gaze falls on Zykun, who looks down, not wanting to meet it. 

“Yes. He’s a firebender, but he’s okay, really. He helped us escape from the farm we were on,” Awatok informs her. Zykun shifts nervously as he reveals his firebending nature to the woman. He would have preferred her not to know, at least not yet. 

“You escaped from a slave farm?” the woman asks, eyebrows raised. “That’s quite impressive. Those are usually heavily guarded.”

“It was. We only made it because of him.” 

“Believe me, I didn’t trust him at first either,” Kano says, still glaring at the woman, “but we wouldn’t be travelling with him if we didn’t trust him.”

“Hm. We’ll see.”

“Really, he’s okay,” Awatok vouches for him. Hopefully this woman won’t attack them or Zykun. “Who are you? Are you part of the Resistance?” 

“My name is Lin,” the woman replies. “And yes. We’re the Resistance. Congratulations, you found us.” She smiles. “Or rather, we found you. We’ll bring you back to our camp and put you through screening.” 

“Screening?” Awatok asks warily.

“We can’t let just anyone in. Might be spies or assassins sent from the Fire Nation. Everyone goes through it before being accepted, _especially_ firebenders.” She looks pointedly at Zykun. 

“Of course,” he says. “I’ll gladly go through your screening. I’m not a spy.”

“We’ll see about that. Now come on.” She signals to her troop and a large hole opens up underground. “Let’s go.” The trio follows Lin and company into the underground tunnel. The earthbenders surround them, a few holding lanterns to light their path.

“Whoa. Secret tunnel,” Awatok observes. “Do you have lots of these under Ba Sing Se?” 

“Yes. We use them to avoid the Fire Nation patrols and collapse any they find. Not that they find very many.” 

“So the base is underground too?” 

“You’ll see. No more questions until after the screening.”

“Fair enough.”

“Were you followed across the Pass?” Lin asks them.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Awatok says. “We defeated most of the firebenders who were following us, I think.”

“Good. Just to be sure, I’ll send out more patrols in the area to guard against them.”

“How many people are in the Resistance?” Kano asks. 

"Roughly two hundred," Lin says, "Not nearly enough..." 

Awatok asks curiously, "enough for what? An attack?"

"To drive the fire nation out and retake the Earth Kingdom. They have vast, vast numbers on their side, as well as technology. If we went up against the fire nation as we are now, they'd wipe us out. But it's hard to recruit when you're a secret resistance force."

"That's true. You never know who's a spy," Kano says.

“Thus, the screening process. So we're stuck with the numbers we have, and with an occasional group like you straggling in."

"What you should do is try to liberate a farm," Kano says. "You'd get lots of strong benders for your cause."

“We have,” Lin says. “Only once before. We’re gearing up to attack another, but they’re far away and travelling in any significant amount of force will draw unwanted attention.”

Awatok nods thoughtfully. "But if there are other earthbenders, couldn't you all make a larger tunnel, move that way?"

"The tunnels might collapse if they're too big without adequate support, and the fire nation might feel the ground shifting," Zykun points out.

"Hm, point for fire boy," Lin murmurs, begrudgingly, then says to Awatok, "He's right. We would have to travel above ground, and there's no way a hundred people would go unnoticed by the patrols."

"Unfortunately," Kano says. Then, after a pause, "Lin... do you think there's any hope left?"

Lin sighs. After a long moment, she answers, "If I don't tell myself there's hope left, it'll be very hard to get up every morning."

"Yeah," Kano agrees.

"Do you think there's a chance the Avatar could still be alive? Or, I mean... reincarnated?" Awatok asks Lin. Phoenix King Ozai made a great show of presenting Avatar Aang's body to the world after their fight, and his triumph. it's been twenty years since then, and no word of the next Avatar has risen.

"Fuck I hope so," she replies. "It's almost impossible, though. Ozai said he killed Avatar Aang when he was in the Avatar state, which means the cycle is broken."

"Yeah, but then he still went on to kill all the female waterbenders... so maybe he's scared that the Avatar might still be reincarnated? Or he lied and he didn't really break the cycle."

"I wouldn't put it past him to lie," Lin says bitterly, "But even if he didn't break the cycle, what if he's already killed the new Avatar? There's no female waterbenders in our camp that are the right age. Just one or two little girls that were born there, and their mothers are too old. It just seems too good to be true, that the Avatar can really be out there somewhere."

"Maybe she's on a remote island somewhere," Kano says, "waiting to reveal herself when the time is right."

"Well, then anytime now would be great," Lin sighs, "Unless she's waiting for even more people to die and be enslaved."

"Yeah," Kano says sullenly. "How much farther is it?"

"Several hours," Lin answers. They walk in silence for most of the way there, until they come up against a solid rock wall. Lin knocks on it with a special code. It slides aside and they enter a small room with a few hallways branching out from it. 

“You’re going to be split up for the screening, but if you make it through, you’ll be permitted to enter the Resistance. It will take a day or so, probably more for fire boy over there, and you will be provided food and sleeping arrangements.” Two earthbenders flank each of the trio, separating them. “Any questions?”

“What about Huntress?” Kano asks. 

“She’ll be put with all our other animals and cared for,” Lin replies. “Don’t worry about her. You can see her once you’re done.” Kano crosses her arms, but doesn’t object. The faster they can get done with this, the faster they can join the Resistance and see Huntress again. 

They’re all taken into separate rooms and the process begins. Each are interviewed for hours by an earthbender who can sense when someone lies, not that they know that, and are asked about their background: where they came from, what drove them to search out the Resistance, how did they get there, etc. Every little detail of their life and journey is examined and cross referenced. Their belongings are confiscated and searched. Multiple earthbenders interview them and compare notes for discrepancies and lies. The entire process takes more than a day, as Lin warned them it would. 

The twins get out first, having passed the examination, and gleefully embrace in another waiting room. 

“It’s so good to see you again,” Awatok says. “I’m glad you made it.”

“Of course we did,” Kano says, smiling. Lin is there to bring them into the complex and return their belongings, and Awatok turns to her. 

“Where’s Zykun?” he asks, worried the firebender didn’t make it. 

“He’s still under examination. Being from the Fire Nation, we have to take extra precautions with him. You understand, surely,” she says as she hands them their packs.

“Yeah... I guess.” It’s logical that they would scrutinize him more closely, but he still doesn’t like it. He hopes they see that he’s no threat to them; that Zykun’s one of the few firebenders who are good. 

“Now come on. The Resistance is right through this door.” 

“What door?” All Kano sees is a wall. Lin chuckles and pulls the stone to the side.

They emerge into a breathtakingly large cavern that must be carved into a mountain, it's so tall. Kano can see many winding pathways up its side, connecting many tunnels to the main cavern. A waterfall runs down one side, splashing into a sizeable pool, and a few dozen benders are practicing waterbending forms in the center of the cavern, though not all of them are bending water.

"Wow," Kano breathes, looking around.

"This is amazing," Awatok echoes his twin, casting his eyes every which way as he tries to take in the whole scene. The rock slides shut behind them, and the bender who had closed it, a young man between their age and Lin's age, steps over to greet them. "Where'd you find these ones, then, Lin? They look a little scraggly."

"We just spent a week traipsing through the desert. You'd be scraggly, too," Kano replies, shooting a glare at him. Just then, her stomach growls. It’s been a while since she last ate.

The newcomer chuckles, thoroughly amused. Lin rolls her eyes. "Like he says, they were in the desert. Now move over so I can take them to get some food." She pushes him aside and leads them across the cavern toward one of the tunnel doors.

Kano follows her, still looking around. "Did the earthbenders build all this?"

"Yes," Lin answers calmly.

"That's incredible," Kano says. "Earthbenders are so powerful."

Lin chuckles to herself. "Well, it did take a big group of us to do this," she admits.

"Still, though. You move solid rock. That's really cool."

"Way cooler than moving water," Lin teases, "I mean, I could move that with my hands."

"Yeah, but not in the volumes us waterbenders do," Kano retorts with a smile.

"Details, details," Lin chuckles with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Kano draws some water from the pool across the cavern and smiles as she plays with it. "See?"

Lin smiles. "Well, that is rather impressive," she admits, "But what about this?" She lifts some hunks of rock straight out of the floor and levitates them around her.

"That is also quite impressive," Kano says.

With a self-satisfied smirk, Lin swirls the rocks around Kano, then Awatok, before putting them neatly back into place. Kano responds by swirling the water around Lin's head and chuckling. Lin spins and tries to slice the water with her hand, which just goes right through and the water immediately reforms. Kano laughs and draws it back.

"Well, maybe waterbenders can hold their own after all," Lin chuckles, and turns to lead them forward again, "Now come on, before you starve."

"Of course we can hold our own," Kano replies.

"Yeah," Awatok nods, "You should see Kano in a fight; he's amazing. And waterbenders can heal, too. You can't heal with earth."

"Yeah, but Awatok's the better healer here," Kano says. "I'm more into the fighting aspect of waterbending, not healing. Though I still can."

"It's like you're complementary to each other. Must be because you're twins."

“Pretty much," Kano says.

"I'm partial to fighting, myself," Lin says, glancing at Kano, "It's too bad I don't have a twin to be my gentle side."

"Do you have any other siblings?" Kano asks as they walk.

"Yeah, that guy at the door," Lin answers off-handedly, "He's my younger brother."

"Oh," Kano says. "He seemed nice."

"Well, he has his moments," Lin shrugs, "Mostly he's a brat, though." She turns a corner and in front of them appears a doorway leading to a medium-sized cavern full of tables and chatting people. The smell of food wafts out at them. 

"Yeah, my brother can be a brat, too," Kano says with a chuckle. "Mmm, what smells so good?"

"I'm not a brat," Awatok mutters indignantly. Lin smiles. "Today it's stew and fresh steamed rice. If you hurry some of the fruit might still be left for dessert. Have at it. I have other matters I need to attend to in the meantime.”

"Mmm," Kano says. She chuckles and pats Awatok on the shoulder. "I know you're not a brat. I was joking. Besides, we both know I'm the brat twin."

"Well, only sometimes," Awatok chuckles. “Let’s go get some lunch. Dinner? I have no idea what time it is.”

“Me neither, but it’s certainly meal time.” They walk over to the line. "Mmm, it all looks so good."

Awatok sniffs it, smiling. "We haven't eaten this well in ages." He scoops himself a bowl of rice and stew.

"Mm-hmm," Kano agrees, heaping her plate high with food. "Oh my gosh Awatok they have bread!"

"No way!" Awatok grins, piling several slices of bread on top of his stew, "Ohhh, and berries!" He scoops them up by the handful.

"Mmm," Kano agrees, taking a bite of a roll before putting it on her plate. She also takes some berries, then looks around the dining hall. It must be around a meal time since there's a fair number of people in the room, Kano guesses about fifty. The murmur of conversation fills the hall, giving the cold stone walls some warmth.

"Are we going to go meet new people?" Awatok asks curiously, scanning the room.

"Yeah, sure, let's socialize," Kano says. "Pick a table!"

"How about that one?" Awatok points to a table that seems to mostly have water tribe folks at it.

"Sounds good." Kano walks over. "Hello," she says. The benders at the table look up.

"Hey," one guy says, glancing them over. "You Fire Nation?"

"Hardly," Kano says, holding up her hand that's still wrapped in water and swirls it around. "We're just in Fire Nation clothes to blend in as much as possible while running away."

"Fair enough," he says. "Sit. Always nice to have more waterbenders around. I'm Hakor. This is my wife Kara,” he gestures to the woman next to him, “and Karro and Kanna, who are siblings.”

"I'm Kano, and this is my twin Awatok. We just got here."

“I know.”

“How do you know?” 

“Well, for one thing I haven’t seen your faces before, so you’re new, and for another, I’m one of the generals here and was told about your screenings. I helped make the decision to let you in. Which wasn’t a very hard one, truthfully.” 

“Glad to hear it. Are you going to be making that decision for Zykun, too?” Awatok asks nervously.

“The firebender? Yeah.”

“Is... is he going to make it?” 

Hakor shrugs. His wife answers for him, “most likely. The examinations we give to firebenders really delve deeply into their personalities and motivations for coming here. We want to judge everyone equally and give them a chance, but if we determine that they’re a threat to us, we won’t hesitate to dispatch them.” 

“Dispatch?” Awatok has a sinking feeling. 

“Well, we certainly can’t let them go once they know where we are and how to get here.” 

“I... guess that makes sense. When will the decision be made?” 

“Tomorrow morning,” she says. “We’ll let you know by then.” 

“So... do you make the decisions too?” Kano asks.

“Yes. We’re both generals.”

"We work directly under the leaders," Hakor says. "You picked the right table to sit at, kids." He chuckles.

"We're not kids," Kano says.

"Sure you are."

"We're almost 20," Awatok retorts as politely as possible.

Hakor chuckles. "My point exactly." Kano rolls her eyes and bites into a roll, but doesn’t miss the glance the generals exchange with one another.

"So where did you two come from?" Karro asks.

"A farm down south, near the ocean. On full moon nights we could feel the pull of it," Kano says.

"Wow, you broke out of a maximum security farm?" Kanna asks. The ones near large bodies of water are always higher security than inland ones.

"We had some help," Awatok says, “from Zykun. The guards tried to attack Kano, and we had to leave. He defended us while Kano cut through the bars and we escaped."

“That sounds like a thrilling tale,” Karra says with a smile. “I’m glad you made it. We all are.”

Kano nods. "After we escaped we hijacked a fire nation boat and made our way towards the main river, then had to cut across the land to avoid the town. That's where we found Huntress, a shirshu, and she just kind of fell in with our group. We should go check in on her after this. Where are the animals kept?”

“Across the main room, on the first floor, there’s an open room for them to stay in,” Karro says. 

“We should take her out hunting soon,” Kano says. “She probably misses us and being out and about.”

“You’ll need an escort to do that,” Hakor says, “and it’s not a great idea, anyhow. We feed them well here.”

“An escort? To go out hunting?”

“Yeah. It’s dangerous outside, with the Fire Nation patrols everywhere, and we don’t want to risk over hunting the area. We have our own breeding stock for meat that she can take from.” 

“I guess... can’t we just take her out once? She hasn’t seen us in a while and I’m worried.”

“I’m going to say no, for now. You’re still new here and it’s definitely too risky. And anyway you need to go get your physicals since you’re done with your meal.”

"Our what?"

"Get your health checked out. We have a few very good healers who make sure everyone here is in good health.”

"Come, you can visit your shirshu after you get checked.” Kano glaces at Awatok nervously as Hakor leads them through a series of tunnels. She can't let them know she's female. Even though they're safe now, and there are other female waterbenders here, she's been trained since childhood to keep her gender a secret and she can't fathom what it would mean if it got out. Awatok glances back at Kano, sensing her worry. But it is safe here for her gender to be revealed here, no one here would hurt her for it. He reaches over and squeezes her hand. _I'm here. It'll be alright... you don't need to hide anymore._

She squeezes back. _I have to,_ she replies. _I can't not._

Frowning, Awatok sighs. He understands reluctance. After living her whole life as a man, suddenly changing that would be a terrible shock. And even if it wouldn't put her in danger anymore, it would change how people saw her. But how can they avoid discovery now? There was no reason he could think of that Hakor would accept for Kano not getting a physical.

 _I'll just... get them not to tell,_ she says. _Somehow._ They enter the room and Kano's happy to see that there are other, private rooms branching out for privacy. A few waterbenders, both male and female, tend to some people lying in the beds in the main room, most visibly injured.

"Kysa, we have some new people that need to be examined," Hakor says.

"Sure thing," Kysa says, walking over. "Welcome! I'm Kysa, head healer here in the Resistance." Hakor leaves as she's introducing herself.

"Hello," Awatok smiles at Kysa, a little shy. She must be very talented, to be the head healer, and he can't help but admire her for that. "I'm Awatok. This is my twin, Kano." He keeps hold of Kano's hand, determined to stay at her side.

"Hey," Kano says.

"It's very nice to meet you. Well, let's get to it." She gives them a warm smile. "Do you have a preference about the gender of your examiner?"

Kano fidgets a little nervously. "Not really. Are you going to tell anyone about the results of our exams?"

"No, unless there's a very pressing issue, such as a contagious disease." Good. Kano's a little comforted by that.

"We appreciate that," Awatok says, gently squeezing Kano's hand, "...can we have the exam together?"

"I don’t see why not," Kysa says. "If you boys don't mind I'll just do it. In here please." She ushers them into a separate room. Awatok follows her in, still holding Kano's hand. There is a low table in the center of the room, and the twins sit on it. Awatok watches Kysa with a mixture of admiration and worry, his mind still flooded with Kano's feelings.

"Alright, I'm going to ask you to take off your shirts."

"Why?" Kano asks.

"We've developed a way to examine your breathing using healing waterbending," she explains, "but we can't do it through cloth."

Kano takes a deep breath, steeling herself. "Please, please keep this a secret, but... I... I'm not a man."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm female, but my parents thought it would be best for me to live as a man to prevent the Fire Nation from killing me if they ever found us. It worked, since I was just taken to a farm instead of being killed. But I had to bind my breasts and... it's... not pretty."

"Oh," Kysa says, "I've seen other female waterbenders bind to escape from the Fire Nation. How long have you been doing it?"

"About five years."

"How old are you now?"

"Almost twenty."

"You started binding when you were fifteen?"

"...yeah. I started right before the Fire Nation captured us, luckily. And it was pretty much constant for the last five years since there was no privacy at the farm."

"Oh my. Well, let's see the damage." Kysa doesn't know what to expect, but it can't be good. Kano removes her shirt, revealing strips of cloth bound around her chest. Nervously, she starts to undo them. She hasn't been naked, even partially, around anyone in a long, long time, and she's very self-conscious about her body.

 _It's okay,_ Awatok tells her gently, _there's nothing to be ashamed of. She's a healer, and I'm here._

 _Thank you,_ Kano murmurs. She takes a deep breath and lets them fall away. It's not a pretty sight. Her breasts are very deformed, flattened and elongated down her chest. While it makes binding easier, it's clear that it's a permanent deformation. Her skin is streaked with harsh rashes from the irritating cloth in some areas, but is rough and calloused in others. All in all, it's obvious it's very painful and not good, to say the least. Awatok winces when he sees the state of Kano's chest, his own skin almost stinging in the spots where hers is reddened. How had he not noticed this? She's badly injured from the cloth, but he'd had no idea of it; had she kept it hidden so well? As Kano takes a few breaths, he calms a little, but worry and shock are still buzzing through him.

"Oh my gosh," Kysa says quietly, observing the damage. "I... I don't know what to say."

"...yeah. It's really bad."

"That's... kind of an understatement." Kysa draws some water from the running stream in the corner of the room and spreads it across Kano's chest, surveying the damage. "I don't think this is mendable."

"I don’t want them mended. I was wondering if there was a way to just, like, remove them? Then I wouldn’t have to do that shit.”

"I suppose we could surgically remove them." Kysa walks around behind Kano and spreads the water over her back. "Your lungs are also damaged," she says, "from the constriction of the binding. We might be able to heal them after the surgery." Kano takes a few deep breaths. It feels weird breathing without her chest constricted. It feels... free.

"Sounds good," Kano says. "When can we do this?"

"When do you want to?"  
"As soon as possible, preferably."

"Okay, um, let me finish up your exams first, then I'll talk with the other healers."

"Sounds good."

 _Kano...are you sure you're fine?_ Awatok frowns. This is all very...abrupt.

 _Yes,_ she replies. _I don't want to wear the binding any more and they're not repairable. I don't want them._

Though he's still surprised by the speed of it all, Awatok nods. As long as she's happy. He squeezes Kano's hand. "How long will the exams take, Kysa?"

"Not long," she replies. "You seem to be in good health." True to her word, the exams do not take long. A few minutes later, she's telling them she'll be right back after she speaks with the other healers.

"She seems nice," Awatok says after she leaves.

"She's very nice," Kano agrees, looking over at Awatok.

"I think I'm gonna try to work in here," he continues, "Maybe she could teach me more about healing. That breathing thing she mentioned? I'd love to learn how to do that."

"That does seem really useful," Kano says. "I'm probably not skilled enough in the healing department to do it." She pulls her shirt back on, still not comfortable being half naked.

"Well, when I learn it I can try to show you," Awatok says, "If you want."

"Maybe," Kano says. "I _should_ probably try to get better at healing."

"You could. I should try to get better at fighting," Awatok nods, "But then again, together we make an expert at both. So maybe it's okay."

She smiles and squeezes his hand. "We're perfect compliments." She kisses the side of his head.

He chuckles and gives her a quick hug. "Yeah, we are."

"Alright," Kysa says, walking back into the room. "It'll take a couple minutes to mix the salves and medicines needed for the procedure, and luckily we have a doctor from the earth kingdom who is a very good surgeon here. So it'll just be another couple of minutes."

"It's not risky, right?" Awatok asks, "Kano'll be okay?"

"Kano will be fine, I promise," Kysa says with an encouraging smile. “It will take a while, though, most likely well into the night. You can wait in the infirmary, if you’d like, or head to the sleeping area, but you can’t be in the room while we operate.”

“I’ll wait here,” he replies. If something does go wrong, he wants to be there to help.

“Feel free to use one of the cots to sleep. We’ll wake you when it’s done.”

“Thank you.” He walks out of the room and picks a cot, sitting down with their packs. He hopes everything will be alright. It has to be. It’s just a routine thing, right? There’s nothing terribly risky about this. It’s not like they’re cutting her open or anything. With a sigh, he lays down and attempts to sleep.


	25. Reunited

He must have slept, for the next thing he knows, one of the healers is gently shaking him awake. 

“What?” he mumbles as he rubs his eyes. 

“Awatok, your si- brother is out of surgery,” the waterbender says, remembering at the last minute to keep Kano’s real gender a secret. 

“He is? Where is he? Is everything- did it go okay?” He’s immediately awake and looking around. 

“Yes, he’s in the healing pools right now,” he replies. “You can go see him if you like.” 

“Yeah, I- which way?” 

“First door on the left.” The healer motions to a doorway and Awatok heads through, into another hallway with rooms off to either side. 

“Kano?” he asks, walking into the first room on the left. Inside, he sees Kysa healing Kano in a shallow, glowing pool of water, the latter submerged up to her neck. Kano opens her eyes at the sound of her brother’s voice and smiles. 

“Hey Awatok,” she greets him. 

“Hey.” He kneels down next to her. “How’re you doing?”

“Pretty good. Though Kysa says it’ll take a while to heal and I shouldn’t move around a lot.”

“Even a simple surgery such as this will heal slowly,” Kysa says, “even with waterbender aid. Four or five days, most like.” Awatok frowns. That’s a long while for Kano to sit around and do nothing. With a flash of insight, he remembers what they learned on their journey.

“Have you ever tried using blood to heal?” Awatok asks.

“Blood? No. That sounds... gruesome. Can you even bend it?”

“Yeah, it’s a lot more sluggish than water,” Kano says, “but it’s amazing at healing.”

“How did you two find this out?” Kysa asks, frowning. 

“Zykun was badly burned and Kano had the idea to use blood to heal him, after realizing that water was everywhere around us, including the Fire Nation soldiers he had just killed.” 

“I kept some of their blood in the smaller waterskin,” Kano tells Awatok, “in case we needed to use it again. Will you go find it?” 

Awatok nods and hurries out of the room while Kysa contemplates this new information. “It never occurred to me that we could bend blood, and certainly not to use it in healing. You said it works really well?” 

“Yeah. I’m no healer, but I used it to fix Huntress’ - our shirshu’s - broken leg enough that she could walk on it in like, ten minutes, while Awatok healed Zykun’s rather extensive burns in around the same time. Didn’t even leave any scars, and healed the old scars he did have.” 

“That’s astonishing,” Kysa says, already thinking of ways this revelation could help them. Awatok returns with the blood and the glowing of the pool ceases. Kano sits up with her help and Awatok draws some of the blood from the skin, ready to demonstrate its power. 

“I’ll do one side with it to demonstrate, then do you want to try it?” he asks, kneeling down.

“Most definitely.” She’s still unsure about bending blood, but her curiosity is definitely piqued. Awatok bends it around Kano’s left side and starts to heal the wound. It definitely takes more energy to heal with blood, but the results are spectacular. After just a few minutes, Kano’s skin looks as unmarred and healthy as could be. Kysa gasps when he draws the blood away and runs her hand over Kano’s chest. 

“That’s simply... wow. I have no words.” This is going to revolutionize battle. Soldiers could be healed and sent back out within minutes of being injured. “Let me try.” Awatok hands her the skin and she draws the blood from it, frowning in thought as she experimentally bends it around before healing Kano’s other side. The energy draw is certainly much more, but the effects are remarkable. She returns the unused blood to the waterskin and inspects Kano’s chest. “No scarring, even. You were right. Incredible. Let me examine your lungs.” She pulls some water from the pool and circles around Kano, using it across her back to study her breathing. On Kysa’s command, Kano breathes deeply, for what seems like the first time in a lifetime. She’s not constricted by the binding any more. She’s free, and she can breathe. Kano smiles a little and glances at Awatok, who returns her smile. He knows exactly how she’s feeling. Not from experience, but through their bond, and he’s happy for her. 

“Well, it looks like your lungs are still damaged. Here, let me see if I can fix them,” Kysa says. She wraps the blood around Kano’s chest and experiments with it. “Try not to breathe too deeply until I’m done.” They sit in silence for a while while Kysa attempts to heal Kano’s lungs, then finally sits back and smiles. “That’s incredible. I think they’re back to normal. How do you feel?” Kano takes a deep breath, then grins. 

“Free.” 

\- - - 

Meanwhile, Zykun has been released from the screening. He was given a new change of clothes, seeing as his was burned and torn up and his pants were filthy from the desert, and he thanked them. He understands the need for the harsh screening process, even if he didn’t like it, but is glad that he passed. 

“I’m glad you did, too,” the earthbender who gave him the news says. “We need more good firebenders here. Come on. I’ll show you to the dining hall; I bet you’re hungry.” He is. He hasn’t eaten yet today. 

“Thanks,” he says with a smile. “Um, do you know where the waterbenders I arrived with are? Or the shirshu?” 

“The shirshu is being taken care of in our animal sector. The waterbenders... I’m not sure. They might be in the sleeping area. I’ll send someone to find them and let them know that you made it. I’m sure they’ll be pleased.” Zykun would certainly hope so. Well, maybe not Kano, but he hopes Awatok would be, at least a little.

Zykun is shown to the dining hall and let loose, the earthbender having other matters to attend to. There are quite a few people milling about for breakfast and he sees the line, so he walks over to get some food, nervous that he’ll still be shunned and hated in this place for being a firebender. He nearly jumps out of his skin when someone gently places their hand on his shoulder. 

“Oh! Sorry,” the stranger says. “It’s just... don't look so down. No one here will mock you for being Fire Nation.” She stands a few inches shorter than him, looks to be about the same age as he, her long black hair worn down, and her black outfit accented with the red of the fire nation. Zykun looks at her, a slight frown. 

"Um... do I know you?" The stranger tilts her head and narrows her eyes, looking closer at Zykun. 

"No, but you're a firebender, right? I just figured you needed some kind words; you looked nervous. You just got here, right? News spreads quickly about new arrivals, especially Fire Nation ones.” 

"Yeah, I am," he says. "The name's Zykun." The stranger nods and smiles, extending her hand for a shake. "I'm Haruka."

Zykun frowns and looks at Haruka's hand, not sure what to do. He hesitantly extends his own. Haruka grasps his hand and shakes it twice, then withdraws her own. "I know, it's weird, right? We're trying it out as a neutral greeting that all nations can use. For the future, where we live in harmony and stuff. But it's weird. They don’t want us using the traditional gesture here since it symbolizes subservience to the Fire Lord."

"Right. That makes sense. I like the new thing. It's interesting," Zykun says with a smile.

Haruka smiles and giggles. "Good, see? You're already looking on the bright side. That's better than a minute ago."

"I suppose so," Zykun says. "Thank you." He smiles again. "So, um, how many firebenders are there here?"

Haruka shrugs. "Only seven, plus me and you, now. Two of them work at the farms, one’s with the animals, and most of the others are in the kitchen. But I can't cook for anything, so I clean the mess hall with a couple earthbenders."

"I guess not many people here trust us enough to really help, huh," Zykun says.

Haruka frowns. "No, that is helping. Everyone here has a job in addition to their battalion. Everyone learns how to fight when they’re not helping take care of the camp. All the firebenders here have been through the screening process, so everyone knows they can be trusted. We haven’t had an incident at the camp yet, but I do know a couple never made it through. No one should be hostile to you, here. At least, not once they get to know you."

"That’s... really nice," Zykun says, feeling optimistic. No one should hate him for who or what he is here. 

"Anyway...." Haruka asks, "have you eaten? Why don't you come sit with me?"

Zykun glances at the buffet of food. "I haven't eaten yet. Um, where are you sitting?"

Haruka gestures toward a table with a few stray earthbenders and one other firebender sitting at it. "Just over there.”

"I'll be right over," Zykun agrees. He gets a modest amount of food and walks over to them and hovers nervously by her table. Haruka looks up at him. 

"Well, sit down, silly. Guys, this is Zykun. Zykun, these are my friends."

"Um, hi," Zykun says with a small wave. A few of the people at the table wave back, and Haruka tugs Zykun into a seat.

"Hi! I'm Nessie," a young earthbender girl says. She can't be more than 15. "Short for Naysia, but don't call me that."

"Yeah, Naysia's real picky about her name," drawls another young earthbender, a girl about 16 years old.

“It sounds weird! Nessie is much better," she retorts.

The other girl chuckles. "Either way, it's you. I don't see what the big deal is." She turns to Zykun and says, "My name's Ameira, by the way."

"Hi," Zykun says with a small smile. "I’m Zykun. I take it you don't hate firebenders?"

"Not in the least!" A scrawny teenage firebender pipes up. "We're great friends."

Haruka giggles. "The best of friends," she echoes.

Zykun smiles a little. "I see."

"So, tell us about yourself," Ameira inquires. “You just got here, right? You’re one of the good ones. What’s your story?”

"About myself? Oh, um, I dunno. There's not much to tell."

Ameira frowns, about to protest, but Haruka catches on and quickly changes the subject. "You came here with some waterbenders, right? Why don't you tell us how you ended up traveling with them?"

"Oh, um, I helped them escape from my father's farm," he replies

“Your father’s _farm?!_ ” Nessie exclaims. “How on earth did you get through screening if your father owns a slave farm??”

“Nessie! He got through the screening, which means he’s good. Don’t be rude!” Ameira chides her.

“No, it’s okay. I never liked it. I hate him and everything he stands for. I helped the twins escape because I saw an out from that life, an opportunity to leave.”

"That's pretty brave of you," Haruka says, "To do that, knowing you couldn't go back."

"I never want to go back, unless it’s to free the captives there. They were the only ones I liked."

Haruka nods understandingly, while Ameira cuts in, "That's fair. I can't imagine prison lords are very fun people."

"No, they're really not. At least the ones I know."

"Luckily, none of us are like them," Haruka adds pointedly, and Ameira shrugs. 

"Maybe not you guys, but it's not like the lords are the only horrible people in the Fire Nation."

"No, there are... there are a lot of horrible people in the Fire Nation," Zykun agrees.

"...you okay?" Ameira asks, confused again by Zykun's sudden saddened tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zykun says.

"Nessie, you're being awfully quiet," Haruka says, prompting the girl to speak.

"Oh! I was just listening." She smiles. "How old are you, Zykun?"

"I'm eighteen."

"Do you have any siblings?" Haruka asks.

"No, my mom died in childbirth," Zykun says. "My dad never remarried."

"Well, siblings are overrated, anyhow," Ameira chuckles, "Mine are nothing but a pain."

"You have siblings?" Zykun asks.

"I have, like....eight of them," Ameira nods, groaning.

"Eight? Wow. Are they here?"

Ameira nods again. "Yep, all of them, plus my dad."

"Wow," Zykun says. "You have a really big family."

Ameira sighs heavily. "It's the worst."

"Really? Why?"

Ameira shrugs. "I never get a moment to myself, you know?"

"Oh, I suppose not."

"Sometimes I wish I was an only child," Ameira concludes with a heavy sigh.

"It's not as great as you think," Zykun says.

"But I'd get all the attention! And space to myself," Ameira insists.

"You'd be lonely and have no one your age around."

Ameira pouts. "Well...I'd have cousins and stuff..." she counters, though her argument is losing steam.

Zykun shrugs. “I don’t have cousins, so I wouldn’t know. But it’s really not all it’s cracked up to be.” 

Before Ameira can respond, someone walks up to Zykun. “The waterbender twins you came in with are in the infirmary,” he informs him, “which you need to go to anyways after you’re done eating.”

“Why?”

“You need to get a physical to make sure you’re in good health.”

“Oh. Alright. Um, I can go now, if that works. I’ll need you to show me where it is. I’m done with breakfast.”

“Follow me, then.” Zykun bids goodbye to Haruka and her friends and follows the messenger to the infirmary. Once there, he’s ushered into a room with a waterbender, who examines him and proclaims him to be in good health. 

“Where are Awatok and Kano?” he asks as he pulls his shirt back on, still self conscious about people seeing him half-naked. 

“They’re in the healing pools. You can wait in the common area for them.” 

Awatok thanks him and sits in a chair, trying to quell his anxiety. There are so many waterbenders around. Free waterbenders, not like the ones on the farm. What if they decide to lash out at him? He is a firebender, after all, and his father owns a slave farm. Not that they know that, per se, but he did mention it, and he assumes information travels quickly here. Why did he let them know?? That was so stupid of him. 

And... what if Awatok decides to leave him? They’re here in the Resistance now. There are a lot more waterbenders around, and he doesn’t really need to keep him around any more, now that they’re safe from the Fire Nation. What if he decides he likes someone else more? Zykun looks down and nervously fiddles with his hands. No, that’s stupid. Awatok wouldn’t do that to him. He couldn’t.

As if to alleviate his fears, Awatok chooses that moment to walk into the main room with Kano and who Zykun assumes is a healer. 

“Zykun!” Awatok exclaims, his face breaking into a wide smile and wrapping him in a hug. “It’s so good to see you. I was so worried about you!” 

Zykun blushes and returns the hug, burying his face in the taller man’s shoulder. “I missed you, too,” he murmurs. “Are you okay? Why were you in the healing pools? Wait, what are those, anyway?”

“They’re clean pools of water we use to heal those with more serious injures,” Kysa says. “Awatok is fine. Kano was using them to recover from the surgical removal of a tumor.” They had previously discussed the cover story amongst themselves. “He’s totally fine now, since he and Awatok discovered an amazing new way of healing. Which reminds me, I need to go talk to some others about that.” She takes her leave and hurries off. 

“A tumor?” Zykun asks, looking at Kano as he pulls away from Awatok. Kano shrugs.

“Apparently. Glad they caught it early. I’m all good now. Just a bit hungry. Shall we head down to the mess hall?” 

“Definitely,” Awatok agrees.


	26. New Disciplines

During breakfast, the twins introduce Zykun to Hakor and Kara and learn that in a couple days, they’ll be assigned to a battalion and given jobs to do around the camp. Taking care of the animals, cleaning, cooking, that sort of thing, but for now they just need to familiarize themselves with the camp and people in it and settle in. They’re told that bending practice takes place in the main hall three times a day: earthbending in the morning, waterbending in the afternoon, and firebending in the evening, and they’re encouraged to join in on all three. 

“But we can only bend one. Why do we need to learn the others?” Kano asks. 

"It’s not required, but we encourage everyone to learn all three ways of bending, even though they can only bend one,” Hakor tells them. “It serves to round them out, make their bending more flexible and adaptable. Makes for better warriors. We've already developed many new techniques from combining the disciplines in different ways. If people stick to only one, their bending becomes... stale, for want of a better term. They don't explore. This way, though, everyone has the knowledge of all three disciplines, and so has a much larger pool of knowledge to draw from."

"Sounds like a good strategy." Awatok nods, then adds as an afterthought, "did you develop this kind of training just in case the Avatar came here without knowing her powers?"

"That was also a factor, yes," Kara replies, "though we've no luck so far. We just have to hope she finds her way to us."

"But you do believe she's out there somewhere?" Awatok can't help but smile. What he and Kano had barely dared to hope, these two are treating like a totally normal possibility.

"Of course. The world needs the Avatar now more than ever. The spirits found a way to somehow continue the cycle. I just know it. And the Order does, too." He lowers his voice and leans in, prompting the others to do so as well. "They're following up some leads right now, actually, looking for the Avatar. There have been many rumors, all of which need looking into. Every one of them knew the previous Avatar, an airbender named Aang, and all of them can recognize the Avatar's spirit on sight. They just need to look at her and they'll know."

"That's... that's really amazing," Zykun says quietly.

"On sight, really?" Awatok whispered, awestruck. How could a person recognize a spirit so quickly? They must have known this Aang really well.

"Really," Hakor says. "Which makes finding the new Avatar that much easier." He leans back and sips from his mug.

Awatok grins to himself, encouraged by this news. With the bloodhealing he and Kano figured out, and the Avatar out there somewhere just waiting to be discovered and come help them, the chance to beat the Fire Nation just keeps getting better.

“Earthbending starts after breakfast,” Kara tells them. “I encourage you to at least watch.”

“We will. But first, where do we put our stuff? And sleep? I slept in the healing room last night, and I don’t think that’s where I’m supposed to.”

“Oh, of course. The sleeping quarters are straight across the main hall. There’s a main room with a communal sleeping area where you can set up your sleeping rolls, or if you desire privacy, there are many rooms off to the sides, dug into the walls, with signs you can hang outside to tell others it’s taken.”

“Sounds nice,” Awatok says. “We’ll check it out. Are you guys done?” Upon confirmation from the other two, they clear their dishes and head across the main hall, where some people are already starting to assemble. They pass by and head into the sleeping quarters. A large cavern sweeps open in front of them, lit by sunlight streaming in from open ceiling panels. Waterfalls cascade down the walls around the private rooms and turn into mellow streams that run through the floor. Plants cluster around the sunlit areas and streams, giving the entire space the illusion of a forest. Pillars of stone stretch up to support the roof and bedrolls are scattered all around, in no particular order but often bunched together.

"Wow, this is much nicer than I expected," Awatok says with a smile, surveying the room. "Let's go claim a space." 

"By a stream, if we can," Kano says as they walk in. They find a nice spot by a stream, as requested, with a bit of sunlight shining down nearby. They set up their bedrolls and leave their things on them. Zykun lies down on his bed and smiles up at the ceiling, admiring the sun shining through the widows. It's slightly shaded, like the panels are camouflaged with trees above, but nevertheless still wonderful.

“Do you think it’s safe to leave our stuff here?” Kano asks. 

“I don’t see why not. Everyone else did. And it’s not like we have anything super valuable,” Awatok points out. 

“Mm, true, I guess.” Kano takes off her shoes and sits by the stream, dipping her feet into it and smiling. Awatok looks over at Zykun and goes to sit by him.

"I still can’t believe this place is real," Awatok muses, "It's too good to be true, but it is..."

"It's amazing." Zykun smiles. "It's... it's perfect."

Awatok smiles back at him. "I'm glad we made it here. All of us."

"Me too." Zykun looks up at him and blushes as Awatok leans in for a kiss. He laces his fingers in Awatok’s and squeezes as his other hand snakes up behind his neck, pulling him closer. Awatok gladly responds, resting a hand on Zykun’s hip. After a moment, Zykun pulls back and smiles, all previous fears forgot. Awatok is perfect. 

They return to the main room and observe the lesson, now begun. Kano estimates that about three out of every four people are bending stone; it makes sense that out of all the elements, there are more earthbenders here than any other. 

“Their stances are much more solid,” Kano observes. 

“They have to move stone. That probably takes a solid base,” Awatok guesses. “Unlike waterbending, which needs to be more fluid.”

“That’s exactly it,” a voice says from behind them. They turn to see a young man with a smile on his face. “To move rocks, you need to be like a rock. Solid, sturdy, steady. I take it you’re new here? I don’t recognize you.”

“We just got here yesterday,” Kano tells him. “We were thinking of joining the lesson, but none of us bend earth.” The man chuckles. 

“I gathered. Name’s Hiran. What are yours?”

“Awatok, Kano, and Zykun,” Awatok introduces them.

“Zykun? Are you the new firebender?” 

“Yeah,” Zykun says, looking away. “That’s me.” 

“News travels fast here. It’s always great news when we get another firebender. Good ones are so rare.” He smiles at Zykun, who cautiously looks up. 

“Great news?” 

“Oh yes. You firebenders serve to prove that just because someone bends fire, that doesn’t make them bad. You’re valuable allies for us. A few of you have gone undercover in the Fire Nation, even,” he tells them. “No one will hate you here, trust me. And if they do, send them my way.” He laughs. “I’ll set them straight.” Zykun smiles. 

“Thank you. That... that means a lot to me.” Hiran claps a hand on his shoulder, inadvertently making Zykun flinch. 

“You- oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says, immediately withdrawing.

“No, it’s fine,” Zykun says. “Sorry.” 

“Alright. Ah, so you guys want to learn earthbending? I can get you started and then join in with the rest of the group.”

“Sounds good, thank you,” Kano says. 

For a good chunk of the morning, they practice earthbending. It’s difficult for all of them; they’re not used to moving in the low, wide stances earthbending requires, but they seem to have a grasp on the basics by the time the practice concludes.

“You guys did really well for your first times,” Hiran compliments them. 

“Thanks,” Awatok says. “It was certainly different than what I’m used to.” 

“That’s the point though, right? Learn lots of stuff, expand your own thinking, and you’ll be a better bender.” 

“Apparently,” Kano says. “Hey, do you know where the animal enclosure is?”

“Yeah, it’s across the main room through that door.” He motions to a door on the opposite wall, between the doors to the mess hall and sleeping area. “Why?”

“We came here with a shirshu and we haven’t seen her in a while. I wanted to go check on her.” 

“A shirshu? No way. Really?”

“Yeah, we found her while coming here and she tagged along with us,” Awatok tells him. “You can come see her, if you want.”

“Oh, I actually have some other stuff I need to take care of. I’ll certainly take you up on that later, though. See you!” They wave goodbye before heading across the cavern to the animal area. 

As soon as they cross the threshold, a brown mass of fur tackles them all and excitedly snuffles around their faces.

“Ow- fuck- Huntress, get off!” Kano exclaims, pushing her back with Awatok’s help. “We’re very excited to see you, too, just please don’t kill us.”

“Ah, you must be the group that brought her in,” a feminine voice sounds above them, behind Huntress. “She’s been very anxious. I’m glad you decided to visit. Come on. Get off.” She gently pushes Huntress away from the trio and helps them up. “I’m Ayake,” she greets them with a smile. Tan skin, black hair... “Are you Water Tribe?” Awatok asks as he scratches Huntress’ head as she rubs up against him. 

“Yeah, you got me there.” She smiles. “It’s nice to see other Water Tribe people here. You escaped from a farm, right? That’s pretty incredible.” 

“Yeah, that’s us,” Kano says. “How did you get here?”

“I was born here, a year after... y’know. My parents made it here not long after the attack. They’re from the Northern Water Tribe. Everyone was so hopeful when my mom gave birth to a girl...” She sighs. “But I’m not even a bender, much less the Avatar.” 

“Oh... I’m sorry,” Awatok says, frowning. 

“No, it’s okay. They can’t have an entirely bending population. They need nonbenders to support them as well as benders. I take care of the animals with some others. I like doing it, and I know it’s important.” She smiles. “Your Huntress is in good hands with me.” 

“Well, I’m glad.” Now that introductions are done, Awatok gets a chance to look around the space. Much like the sleeping area, there are streams and plants around the room with some sun to support them. Stalls and caves are ringed around the outside of the room to provide the animals with sleeping areas. Awatok sees a variety of animals milling about the area, some he recognizes, most he doesn’t, with caretakers tending to some of them.

“This looks like a great place,” he observes.

“Yeah, we try to make it as comfortable as possible since they can’t go outside very often,” Ayake explains. “Simulate a forest as best we can, with the limited sun we can get down here.”

“Well, I think it’s a pretty good recreation, all things considering,” Awatok says. 

“Yeah, me too. Oh! I just realized, I never got your names.”

“Right. I’m Awatok, and this is Kano and Zykun,” Awatok introduces them. 

“Zykun... are you the new firebender?” 

“I am,” he says, awkwardly reaching out to accept the new greeting from Ayake. The... handshake, he thinks they call it. 

“That’s fantastic,” she says, smiling warmly. “I hope you like it here.” 

“So far I do. Everyone is a lot more accepting than I assumed they would be.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so.”

\- - - - - 

“Excited to bend again?” Kano asks her brother as the trio walks over to the group. Kara’s leading the waterbending practice this afternoon, and Kano’s certainly excited. She takes a deep breath and pulls some water from the nearby pool. 

“You know it,” Awatok replies, smiling. He’s excited to learn and relearn forms. They’re finally going to learn again from a teacher for the first time in four years. This will certainly be valuable. Awatok spots Lin in the group and they walk over. Before they get much into conversation, the lesson begins. 

Kara starts with a review of simple moves for any beginners in the group, then soon moves on toward more advanced techniques. The beginners, including Zykun, break away from the main group to continue working on the basics. Lin follows along next to the twins, matching the motions perfectly even though she can't bend any water. Glancing around, Kano sees roughly half of the students bending water and assumes the rest are earth- and firebenders. She spots Zykun in the beginner group and mentally nudges Awatok, directing his attention to the firebender. He’s surprisingly fluid, moving through the stances like a true waterbender. _He sure learns fast,_ she comments.

_Yeah,_ Awatok responds, obviously distracted by Zykun's body in fluid motion, so much so that he stumbles over his own steps and almost falls on his face.

_Try not to focus_ too _much on him,_ Kano says with a chuckle as she catches him. Luckily Zykun didn't notice the stumble. In fact, he hasn't looked over at the twins at all, instead focused on struggling through the new, foreign forms.

Awatok flushes slightly and turns his attention back to the practice. _He_ is _good, though, for this being his first try._

_He's a little hesitant, but I suppose that comes with being new._ Kano refocuses on Kara to keep up with her forms.

When the practice is over, Kara thanks them all and they bow before the crowd disperses. Zykun walks back over to the twins, a smile on his face.

"You looked good in practice,” Awatok says encouragingly.

His face lights up. "Really?"

"Even Kano thought so," Awatok chuckles. "You looked just like a waterbender."

"You thought I looked like a waterbender?" That makes him feel really good about himself. He smiles widely and looks at her.

“Yeah. You seemed really natural at it.”

"Thank you. I’m glad."

"Did you like waterbending?" Awatok asks.

"I absolutely loved it. I'm excited about learning actual waterbending forms."

"Do you think you can use the waterbending forms with fire?"

"I was considering it. I could probably make fire that acted like water in the forms."

"That would be really cool!"

"Can I do it here? Or are there rules or something about it..." He looks around and sees other people bending water and earth at their leisure, but he's not sure what these people's attitudes are about firebending. The reception here has been mostly accepting towards him so far, but he doesn't want to make a mistake that could turn everyone against him.

"Maybe we should ask Kara," Awatok suggests, having similar worries. He looks around for her and spots her counseling one of the other people from the practice a few yards away. Gently bringing Zykun along, he walks up. "E-excuse me?" Kara waves the other person away, having finished that conversation, and nods. "Yes?"

"Hey, Kara, I was wondering if it was okay for me to do some firebending?" Zykun asks nervously.

Kara smiles gently. "Yes, of course. We all need to keep up our skills. Any kind of bending is allowed in the main hall, but in residences and the mess hall we discourage bending practice. There's less space and larger crowds."

Zykun smiles. "Thank you! That's really nice to hear. Ah, though... what's the general feeling about firebending here?" People so far have accepted him, but he’s not sure how they’d feel about him firebending. He knows the twins really didn’t like it at first, and he thinks Kano still doesn’t.

“In theory, it’s alright and encouraged. No one should interfere with your bending. In practice, some of us here have a hard time separating firebending from the Fire Nation. We’ve had a few confrontations in the past, but they’re resolved. No one should bother you, but if they do, call me over.”

“I will. Thank you, Captain.”

“You’re welcome. Now go practice your bending.”

He nods. "Thanks." He glances at Awatok, excited to try fire-waterbending.

Awatok smiles brightly at Zykun. "Well? Go practice," he urges.

"Oh, ah, yeah." Zykun walks a few feet away and glances over at the three waterbenders, a little nervous about bending in front of them.

"Maybe we should give him a bit of privacy to get started," Kara suggests, nudging the twins to turn away for a moment. They have a short conversation about the day’s lesson and where they stand in terms of skill to distract themselves while Zykun gets started. He’s thankful that they turned away. Having an audience is a bit nerve-wracking. 

Zykun takes a deep breath and conjures up a fireball in his hands, smiling as he bends his element again. He plays with it for a few minutes, relaxing and getting comfortable before letting it dissipate and taking a waterbending stance. He begins the basic form he learned, bending fire around him the way the others were bending water. It's a strange sight to behold, but a fascinating one.

The trio turn their attention back to Zykun as he starts the waterbending form. Kara is obviously impressed, watching him carefully. Awatok takes a more holistic approach, admiring Zykun as he moves. It's so strange to see fire flowing like water, but the glow it gives to Zykun's skin is equally transfixing. Kano can’t help but notice said glow, influenced by Awatok’s own thoughts. She shakes her head as she realizes she’s staring at Zykun’s bare arms, admiring the way his muscles move beneath his skin. What the fuck is she thinking? She’s _so_ not attracted to him. Dammit Awatok.

_Sorry,_ Awatok says, his sister’s distress pulling him out of his own thoughts. _I’ll try to keep that stuff more private._

_Thanks,_ she says, looking away from the firebender, uncomfortable now not only from the nearby fire. 

Zykun pauses briefly, a slight frown on his face, trying to remember the next set of moves. The fire crackles merrily in a ball before his hands, waiting for him to continue. Awatok smiles, his heart oddly warmed by the sight of Zykun paused like that with the fire cradled in his hands. Zykun frowns more and lets the fire go before starting over. He gets stuck in the same place and looks over at the waterbenders. "I forgot the next sequence," he admits.

"Oh!" Awatok realizes, barely having noticed the pause wasn't intentional. Kara moves to Zykun's side to show him the next sequence again. They go through it a few more times sans elements until she’s sure Zykun’s got it down.

"Okay, try those two parts again now," she says, stepping back. Zykun nods and starts the form again, bending fire in place of water. He smiles, loving the flow of the form.

Kara smiles approvingly. "Good technique," she praises, while Awatok continues to stare dreamily.

"Really?" Zykun says with a smile.

"Really. I don't give false praise," Kara says.

"Thank you," he says. "That means a lot to me." He looks around and notices that a few people are watching him and he blushes nervously. They were watching him bend?

Kara notices his nerves. "They were watching you because they're impressed," she says gently, patting his shoulder again, "Go celebrate with your friend and his wandering eyes, okay?" She smiles and then walks off to attend to some other business. Kano discreetly takes her leave with Kara to talk more waterbending, leaving the boys alone.

"Wandering eyes?" Zykun asks, frowning, as she walks away. He looks at Awatok.

Still blushing, Awatok frowns. "Sorry...I guess I was kind of staring. At you. A lot. She must have noticed."

He blushes. "You were?"

"Yeah," he mutters, clearly embarrassed. He should have been watching the bending instead, but he got distracted. This keeps happening lately, and he can't say he's pleased.

Zykun smiles and takes his hand in his own. "You're really cute." Awatok blushes deeper, but smiles at Zykun and squeezes his hand. Zykun gives him a quick kiss, then nervously glances around as he realizes they’re in public. Luckily, it seems that no one’s really paying attention to them any more, now that the fire’s gone. 

"So, um, what should we do now?" Zykun asks.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Awatok suggests, "Explore a little."

"I would love that," Zykun says with a smile. 

\- - - - -   
The two return to the main hall just after dinner for the firebending lesson.

"Holy shit," Zykun says as he sees who's leading it, stopping dead in his tracks. Awatok follows his gaze with curiosity, to see what made Zykun react like that. 

“Who’s that?” he asks, looking at the instructor. 

"That's the traitor prince," Zykun says, staring at the man with a scar surrounding his left eye. "Zuko. They... we were told that he was killed by his sister in the last agni kai. But he's alive! Alive and here!"

"What? No way!" Awatok gasped, "I thought they killed everyone in the Avatar's party. I mean, there's always rumors, but... I never thought- wow!"

"They said they did," Zykun says. "I mean, Aang's obviously dead, the Phoenix King flaunted his body, but the others... I wonder how many they lied about... how many are still alive?"

"Maybe they all are," Awatok murmurs. Suddenly believing all those rumors seems logical: if one was true, why not all of them?

"Oh man I hope so," Zykun says. "That would be amazing. Toph and Sokka and Katara... they're legends. Well, to me, anyway. Not the rest of the Fire Nation."

"To us," Awatok corrects, gently squeezing Zykun's hand. He gestures around to the other people in the hall. "All of us."

"Right," Zykun says, looking up at him with a smile. "All of us." He looks back at Zuko. "Oh, I think the lesson's about to start."

"Let's go practice," Awatok smiles. He hurries over to sidle into a position in the group of benders. 

Zykun watches and follows as Zuko starts off with a review of the basics. Zykun doesn't bend at first, just goes through the motions, but he sees other flashes of fire in the group and figures it's okay to firebend here, so he does. It feels amazing to firebend like this again, not experimenting, not holding back, just going through comfortable motions and letting his element flow through him. Zuko moves on to more complicated forms and like in the other two lessons, the beginners split off from the main group to continue working on the basics. Awatok is surprised to see Kano there when the group splits. 

“I didn’t expect you to have any interest in learning firebending,” he says. 

“Yeah, well, maybe if I understand it more I won’t be as afraid,” Kano says.

“That’s a really mature way of looking at it.”

“I guess.” 

The twins struggle through the basics with the others. It's almost refreshing. They haven’t struggled so much with forms since they were kids, and it feels good to learn.

When the practice ends, Zykun runs off to talk to Zuko before Awatok can find him. 

"That was tough," Kano says, wiping sweat from her brow.

"No kidding," Awatok chuckles.

"That was really interesting," Kano says. "I like the way they move. Also Earthbending. It's a shame we can't learn Airbending, too."

"Yeah, I wish we had some scrolls at least with a few forms," Awatok sighs, "I can't believe the Fire Nation was so selfish it wiped out all the airbenders."

"They're horrible," Kano says. "But we can't change the past. Just the future."

"Do you think it's possible for another airbender to be born?" Awatok muses.

"I don't know... maybe the Avatar could? I don't see any other way though."

Awatok nodded thoughtfully, wiping his forehead again. Kano can sense his troubled thoughts as they walk back to the sleeping room.

_What're you thinking about?_ she asks, peeking into his mind.

_The future,_ he answers, trying to open his thoughts to her. He was preoccupied with thoughts of how they might repair the world after- _if_ \- they defeat the Fire Nation.

_We'll defeat them,_ Kano says. _We will. The Order will find the Avatar and we'll defeat them._

_And then what?_ Awatok asks, meeting her eyes, _we have no airbenders, and the land is destroyed._

_We'll cultivate the land again, renew it. The Fire Nation, however bad they are, are already doing that. Nature will find a way to heal itself, to heal the world._

He smiles. _You're right. We just need to stay hopeful. Nature will set things right._

_Yeah,_ she says with a smile, rubbing his shoulder.

_Thanks._

“Glad I found you two,” a familiar voice says from behind them.

“Hey Lin,” Kano says, turning around to face her. “What do you need?”

“Hakor says to report to the general's room in the morning for your work assigning."

"Work assigning?" Kano asks.

"Yeah. What, did you think you could stay here for free?" She chuckles. "No, we need all the manpower we can get. Oh, and bring Zykun."

“Right.” She almost forgot about that.

"Of course, can do," Awatok nods. “Thanks Lin.”

“No problem. Get some rest, you two.” She takes her leave. 

_I wonder if they'll let me work with the healers. Oh, but also I want to be assigned with you. Ah, man..._ Awatok says. 

_Well, we can talk about it tomorrow,_ she responds. _Right now I just want to sleep._


	27. The Expedition

“Good morning, generals,” Zykun says as the trio enter the planning room before breakfast the next day. Maps line the walls and tables in the room and various intel reports are scattered about. 

“Ah, good, nice and early, I see,” Hakor says with a smile, turning to greet them. Kara is in tense conversation with another woman they don’t recognize, but it ceases as the three enter. “Please, take a seat.” He motions to an empty table near the doorway and the three sit, shortly joined by the generals.

“This is Ming Zi, the third general of the resistance,” Kara introduces the unfamiliar woman. Her brown hair is kept in a short pixie cut, nicely framing her pale face. “She was in the Earth Kingdom military before the Burning.”

“Nice to meet you,” she says, shaking their hands without a smile. Kano gets the impression that she’s a very serious person, unlike the other two, who smile more. 

“Well, let’s get down to business. You three need jobs here in the resistance. What would you like to do? We're very flexible with what you want." 

"Well, I'm interested in working with the healers," Awatok says, “if that’s okay.”

"I think that can be arranged. Your bloodhealing technique has already caused quite the stir. I’ll talk to Kysa. And you, Kano?"

"I'd like to work outside, if that's at all possible. Scavenging, scouting, I don't know. But I want to see the sun and I want to bend."

"Fantastic.” Kara smiles. “We don't have too many people who want to go out on a regular basis."

"Good!" Kano grins. “Well, for me, anyway.”

 _Just be careful not to get hurt outside,_ Awatok tells Kano.

 _I won't get hurt, I promise,_ Kano replies.

"Lin is taking a scavenging party into Ba Sing Se today. You should join them. You already know Lin, so it'll be a good introduction into leaving the base."

"Perfect. Awatok, you should come with us! Just for this one. Can he?"

"If he wants to," Hakor replies.

"Well, just for this one, to keep an eye on you," Awatok teases, smiling. But it will actually be nice to stay near his twin for the day.

"Zykun, what would you like to do?" Hakor asks, turning his attention to the young firebender.

"Oh, um, I'd actually like to work in the kitchens, if that's okay, or... I assume you grow your own food? I really like cooking, I've discovered, and working with food."

"Perfect. We could always use more firebenders in the kitchen. Turns out you guys are pretty handy for the job." Hakor chuckles.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” 

"You can head down to the kitchens. Talk to Balor, he’s head cook, tell him you’re assigned to kitchen duty. You two, Lin's party leaves after breakfast from the briefing room, so grab something to eat and head over."

\- - - - - 

"This is a routine surveillance, no overnight,” Lin informs the recon group, consisting of the twins, herself, and two people they haven’t met before: Fen Yu and Tarek, “so you all just have basic supplies in your packs to keep it light. We’ll be venturing into Ba Sing Se, looking for any refugees and Fire Nation activity. We should be back before dinner. Any questions?” Upon general silence from the group, she gives the order to head out. They walk along an underground tunnel for a good half an hour before emerging inside the ruins of a teahouse in Ba Sing Se. 

"The Jasmine Dragon?" Kano asks, looking back at the sign.

"That's a nice name," Awatok replies. 

Lin glances back at them. "I'll tell Iroh you think so."

"Iroh?" Kano asks, frowning slightly.

"The Phoenix King's brother, head of the Order of the White Lotus?" Lin clarifies, "The guy in charge of the resistance?"

“I didn’t know his name. Why would you tell him that?”

“This used to be his tea shop. He and his nephew Zuko lived in Ba Sing Se for a while before the Burning. But enough with the history lesson. We need to head out.”

They walk for a while in silence before Kano can’t bear it any more and strikes up a conversation. “So what do you two bend? Awatok and I are waterbenders, from the Northern Tribe.” She’s not even sure if any waterbenders from the Southern Tribe managed to escape the Fire Nation. She certainly hasn’t met any.

"Hm?" the other bender replies, "Oh. I'm a waterbender from the Northern Tribe as well, or what was left of it. Fen Yu over here bends earth." Fen Yu nods. Kano frowns as she sees a horrific burn scar across his neck. “Even better than Lin, I'd say, even though he's the younger one."

"Oh really? Lin, you have a brother?" Kano asks with a chuckle. "How much younger?" She looks at Fen Yu.

"Hm," Tarek reflects, then turns to the earth bender, "How old are you again?" Fen Yu makes a quick few motions with his hand, and Tarek says, "He's 17, so six years younger."

Awatok frowns. "What was that?"

"Oh, that's how he talks," Tarek explains, "He's mute." Awatok's eyes widen in surprise.

"Mute?" Kano asks. "Why?"

"Uh, well..." Tarek hesitates. Lin cuts in from a few paces ahead, "when he was little, before we'd found the hideout, we lived in a little refugee village. But a Fire Nation patrol found it and attacked us. He tried to protect our mother, and the soldier burned his throat. Bad. We didn't have any healers for it, so now it's beyond repair, they said."

"Oh, man." Kano glances between them. "I'm sorry..."

Fen Yu smiles gently at Kano, making another hand motion that Tarek translates as 'it's okay.' Lin merely glances back at Kano, her expression saying anything but 'it's okay.' Awatok pats Kano's shoulder awkwardly. Neither of them know what else to say, though it occurs to him that bloodhealing might help. It can erase scars and fixed Kano’s lungs, so maybe it could return Fen Yu’s voice. He makes a mental note to ask Kysa about trying it later. 

"So, um, Tarek, what's your story?" Kano changes the subject not very subtly.

"Well, I lived in the northern water tribe. After the Fire Nation attacked us, I worked in a prison farm for many years. I managed to escape and made it here a few years ago."

"Well done," Kano says. "That's pretty much our story too, but more recent."

"So I've heard from Lin," Tarek smiles, "She talks about you two a lot." 

Lin growls, "Tarek, shut up!"

"Really? She talks about us?" Kano raises an eyebrow and a cocky grin spreads over her face. Awatok snickers at his twin, though he's a little embarrassed about being talked about. 

"Don't get a big head about it," Lin grumps.

"What'd she say about us?" Kano asks Tarek, still grinning.

Tarek opens his mouth to answer, then finds himself with a face full of dirt. After coughing it out, he concedes, “apparently that's classified info." Fen Yu grins.

"Oh is it?" Kano laughs. "Now I'm curious."

"Quiet!" Lin snaps, her tone suddenly grave. She looks around the empty street and motions for everyone to be on high alert. Whispers and stones rattle around a corner. Lin tenses and sneaks closer, peeking around, then lets out a small sigh of relief. 

"It's just a ratdog," she reports, relaxing slightly. “We should still-” 

And then she’s on the ground, struggling in the confines of a net. Tarek shrieks as he’s knocked down by a fireball from behind and Kano just barely manages to deflect one with the water she ripped from her canteen, cursing up a storm. Where did these firebenders come from?! She estimates at least a dozen swarming out from the ruins, moving quickly to surround them. She needs more water. Looking around, she sees none. Ba Sing Se’s water system dried up long ago with no one maintaining it and the arid desert air lends no moisture to her aid. She’ll have to make do with what they have in their canteens, which really seems like a vast oversight on their part. 

"You’re outnumbered! Surrender now and we won't kill you!" what presumes to be the leader yells at them.

Kano scoffs. Like they ever would. She rips the water from Lin’s canteen and severs the net with it as she realizes that the firebenders are separating her from the rest of the group. She’s too out in the open here to fight them all off. Her heel hits a wall and she realizes she’s trapped. Fuck! She looks up and spots the roof eaves. Maybe she can leap up and grab it- but it’s so high! There’s no other way out. She has to try. 

With a mighty leap, she manages to catch the edge and haul herself up with the help of a friendly gust of wind, neatly evading a couple fireballs. As she stands, she can hear Lin insulting the firebenders below and the others fighting back; she needs to get back into the fight. Maybe she can flank them if she runs around on the roofs. She feels a jolt of fear as Awatok is restricted: he’s been caught in another net! 

"Awatok!!" she exclaims, stopping on the roof and looking back down as the others are similarly captured or restrained. There are just too many of them- where are the firebenders coming from?! There seems to be more of them now. Distracted, she doesn’t notice the fireball surging at her until it’s too late; shrieking, she falls backwards. With a foreboding cracking sound, the roof caves in, sending her crashing into the vacant home. Attracted by the noise, a mass of firebenders quickly swarm into the wreckage and surround her. Kano struggles to her feet and faces them as well as she’s able. She can feel her brother’s panic mingle with her own; there’s too many to fight off with what little water she has. 

“Burn, you rat!” one of the firebenders exclaims as they all jet fire straight at Kano. A rush of adrenaline and a power she’s never felt before surge through her as she whips the water around her, spinning in a circle in a feeble attempt to defend herself. Even as she braces for the pain, she realizes that it’s not coming and isn’t going to. The fire is following her hand, moving in a circle like her swiftly evaporating water. She almost loses concentration as shock and surprise momentarily grip her, then she laughs and turns the benders’ fire back upon them, creating a tornado like she once saw Zykun do when he was surrounded. Fire bursts through the roof of the house, carrying the screams of the half dozen firebenders that are burning alive at Kano’s hand. She distantly hears Awatok screaming, most likely thinking that Kano’s the one burning, so she sends a feeling of exhilaration and confidence his way.

Kano thrusts her fist up to raise the ground beneath her and bursts through the roof in a swirl of earth and fire, descending on the grim scene below. Awatok is pinned by both net and firebender, Tarek is lying on the ground, either unconscious or dead, Lin is fighting valiantly against four opponents, and Fen Yu is held by another two. 

Kano lands next to her very astonished twin and rips chunks of stone from the ground, whipping them at the benders pinning him and Fen Yu. They go flying and she finishes them off with an earthen spike to each of their chests. At this point, the remaining four break away from Lin and flee in both surprise and terror, followed by a jet of fire from Kano.

Kano stands there, panting, and looks down at her hands. She flexes her fingers, trying to comprehend what just happened. Utter silence descends as everyone stares at Kano. Everyone, except Fen Yu, who scrambles up and runs after the firebenders. 

_Kano...you...you're..._ Awatok thinks, too astonished to speak aloud. Though not aware of his silent words, Lin finishes his thought. "You're the fucking Avatar," she whispers, staring wide-eyed at Kano, who takes a deep breath. 

“I’m the fucking _AVATAR!!_ ” she yells before registering why Fen Yu ran after the firebenders. “Oh. SHIT.” She sprints off after them, suddenly terrified that the Fire Nation will learn about her. How many were there? She’s not sure, but she has to kill them. The Phoenix King can’t learn that she’s the Avatar. She races through the streets and glimpses one of the soldiers a few intersections away. She raises her arms and pulls a house down on top of her, crushing her in the rubble. How many were there?? Not just that one. They must have split up. Every second is valuable. She uses her newfound earthbending skills to give herself a boost up onto a roof, but she can't see any of the other soldiers. 

"Fuck," Kano hisses, looking around. If she can't find them, she can't kill them, and they're probably long gone by now.

Lin takes off in the other direction back towards the tea house. If she can pass on the message in time, border scouts might be able to pick off those soldiers. Awatok is left to struggle out of the net on his own, a feat that takes several minutes and attempts to complete successfully. He hurries over to Tarek to check on him, relieved to find that he’s still breathing. His water was evaporated in the attack, so he pulls some blood from the soldiers Kano killed, feeling queasy about it, but realizing it’s necessary to save Tarek.

It takes a few more minutes to heal Tarek to the point of consciousness and mobility. By then, he’s exhausted and Kano has returned.

"Kano," Awatok smiles, though his face is pale with worry. "Lin ran off. She didn't say where, but probably to find the soldiers. If they get away..." 

“I got one of them,” Kano says. “Let’s hope she and Fen Yu can get the rest.”

Tarek, holding his head, sighs. "This was supposed to be a routine mission. For the love of Avat- ...well." He looks up at Kano and chuckles.

"Damn straight for the love of me," Kano says, adapting to the revelation that she's the Avatar quite well. "I saved _all_ your asses." She grins, then it fades and she sighs. "Fucking slippery fire rats. I presume the Phoenix King will be hearing about this soon enough. How's he doing?" She nods at Tarek.

"He'll be okay until we can get back underground," Awatok replies. “I healed him as much as I could, but I’m exhausted.”

Tarek nods. "I'm fine. Awatok healed the worst of it. We should get down soon, though. We need to build an Avatar fortress, and quick." He chuckles darkly.

"Yeah- ow, fuckkk," Kano gasps as her adrenaline finally fades enough that the pain from her very burned shoulder sets in. A quarter of her shirt is gone, revealing a nasty wound. She looks at it over her shoulder. "Fucking firebenders," she hisses through gritted teeth.

Awatok's face falls. "We need to get to the hideout and get you both healed." 

“Should we wait for Fen Yu?,” Kano asks, helping them up. 

“No. He knows the rendezvous protocol to meet back at the teahouse. We’re too exposed waiting out here. We need to get going,” Tarek says. 

“Let’s go then,” Kano says. 

_I can hardly believe this is real,_ Awatok tells her as they walk, _but it almost makes sense...you're the perfect person to save the world._

She frowns. _What do you mean? I'm nowhere near perfect._

 _Being perfect is different from being perfect for the job,_ Awatok points out calmly, glancing up to meet her eyes, _Come on, Kano, you've always wanted to take down the Fire Nation. Rebuild the world. And you're an excellent fighter. You have the passion and the skills the Avatar needs to face this._

_I guess... but I'm not... I mean, how the hell am I going to learn airbending? All the airbenders are dead. And I can't possibly take down the entire Fire Nation by myself._

_You're not by yourself. I'm here for you, and the whole resistance will be with you. And...we'll figure out something, to make up for you not knowing airbending. We can do this._

_Yeah... we can._ She smiles a little, Awatok's confidence rubbing off on her.

Tarek squints at them. "You guys can talk with your minds, can't you?"

Kano frowns, taken aback. "What? How do you know that?" He's not telepathic, is he? No, that's stupid. There's no such thing. Then again, she and Awatok can communicate with each other mentally, but that's because they're twins.

Tarek shrugs. "I've gotten used to watching silent conversations, I guess, spending time with Lin and Fen Yu. And you two were making conversation-having faces. But, I've never heard to talking with your minds like that." 

Awatok replies, "It's just a twin thing, I'm sure. We've always been able to read each other well."

“We've always been able to sense each other's emotions, but lately it's gotten stronger and now we can talk to each other mentally,” Kano adds.

"Huh, weird," Tarek ponders, "it's odd that it's changing."

"Maybe it's cause we're finally free from that fucking farm," Kano reasons.

"It must be that," Awatok agrees.

They walk the rest of the way in silence back to Iroh's teahouse. There’s no sign of Fen Yu. 

"Should we wait for him?" Kano asks.

"Yeah, Lin'll kill me if we leave him behind," Tarek nods. He sits down just inside the door to wait. Awatok looks around with worry, paranoid that more firebenders will show up.

Kano leaps up onto the roof and looks around. Where the hell is Fen Yu? Hopefully he's alright... he can't exactly call for help. She looks around, trying to estimate what direction he’ll be coming from. A few minutes later, she spots him in the distance, limping toward them along the abandoned road.

"I see him!" Kano calls. "This way!" She dashes across the rooftops towards Fen Yu and drops down in front of him. He’s limping, his leg swollen and bleeding, clearly in pain. “I’ve got you, don’t worry.” She helps support him as they limp back to the teahouse. 

"Fuck," Kano hisses. "Just sit down, I've got you." She helps him to the ground. "Don't put any more weight on it." She looks up as the other two run over. "It looks bad."

"Oh, damn," Tarek curses, kneeling beside Fen Yu and asking what happened. Awatok kneels beside Kano, looking over the wound. "He's bleeding a lot... I can use that to heal him," he suggests reluctantly.

"Do it," Kano says, gathering the blood that dripped on the ground behind him and pulling the dirt out of it. "Here's more."

Awatok takes the blood from Kano and gathers more from Fen Yu's leg, then starts to heal him. After a flurry of hand motions, Tarek translates, "He says he caught a few of the runaways. He killed them, but they knocked him off a roof during the fight and his leg got torn up by the rubble." Fen Yu gives Tarek an urging look, and the older man adds, "Oh, right. And he's sorry to cause trouble, thanks for helping."

"Trouble? What trouble? You killed more of the soldiers I couldn't catch. That's not trouble, that's helping," Kano replies. "Thank you."

Fen Yu smiles at Kano. He makes a few signs to Tarek, then turns back to Kano and carefully puts his hand flat over his heart, nodding at her. "Um, he says he's happy to help anytime and... that last one means loyalty, I think."

"Loyalty? But I just met him," Kano says, frowning.

“You're the Avatar," Tarek reasons, to which Fen Yu nods several times, then puts his hand back over his heart.

"Right. I am." She may or may not have momentarily forgotten that fact. "Regardless, we should return to camp. There could be more soldiers out there."

"I'm almost done," Awatok says, taking a few more seconds to finish healing what he can and helping Fen Yu to his feet. "Let's get going.”

Tarek opens the door and they all climb down, making their way back to camp, which is swarming with activity, sending scouts to try and pick off the Fire Nation soldiers, preparing better defenses, and relaying messages to various officers.

"They're back!" someone calls as Kano and the others return. They’re directed to where Lin is and she hurries to greet them, hugging Fen Yu and then turning to the twins. "Kano, you need to come with me. You can bring Awatok with if you want."

"Of course. Where are we going? Oh, but Fen Yu and Tarek should probably go to the healers to get checked out. They were hurt pretty badly."

"What'd you go and get hurt for?" Lin frowns at Fen Yu and Tarek, both irritated and worried. Without waiting for an answer, she waves over someone and tells them to escort the two of them to the healers. As they head off, Lin turns back to the twins. "We're going to meet with the White Lotus. Or what's around of it, at the moment."

"They're back?"

"Yeah, they got back last night," Lin nods, "I would've mentioned, but it didn't seem too important until just now." She chuckles somewhat awkwardly.

"True," Kano replies. "Where are they?"

"Follow me," Lin says, leading them to a meeting room a little out of the way of the main traffic. Inside, a few members of the White Lotus are seated, deep in discussion. As soon as Kano walks in, all of them look up and a silence descends on the room. It makes Kano a bit uneasy, but she tries not to show it.

"The Avatar," the only woman at the table breathes. Her hair is long and brown, pulled back into a ponytail with two loops hanging partially over her forehead, and her skin is tan, making Kano assume she's a waterbender. Everyone else at the table is old and has white hair, save for Zuko, whom she saw the day before.

"And his- I mean, her brother," Lin says to the group, "Kano and Awatok." 

"Welcome, both of you. I am Katara, and this is Zuko, Iroh, and Pakku," the woman who had spoken before says, keeping her eyes fixed on Kano, her expression nostalgic and almost longing as the feeling of Kano's spirit reminds her of her time with the last Avatar. 

Kano nods respectfully at all of them, but her mind is on another matter. How does Lin know she's really female? Is she assuming because Kano's the Avatar or does she really know?

"I'm not female," she replies, looking at Lin.

"On the contrary, Kano," Iroh speaks up, "I believe that you are. It's alright, you don't have to hide it here." Kano crosses her arms. "Though if you prefer, your secret will not leave this room, though I suspect that once the others learn who you are, they will start to question your gender as well."

"...fine," she says, a bit reluctantly. "I'm just... used to hiding it. You know, so I wasn't brutally slain like all the other female water tribesmen."

"Which is perfectly understandable, and believe us, we are glad you did. Which brings us to our main discussion: you are the Avatar."

"That's right. I literally just found out, or obviously I would have said or done something before." She's a little defensive, not knowing what they're going to do or say, or blame her for not helping them or stopping the fire nation sooner.

"We're not angry," Zuko speaks up, guessing her thoughts. "Quite the opposite. We're all relieved that you are, in fact, alive and well. The cycle is not broken."

Lin looks away when Kano looks at her, feeling a bit guilty. Awatok squeezes Kano's shoulder gently to reassure her, knowing this whole conversation is making her uncomfortable. 

"Quite relieved," Pakku nods, "And though finding you earlier may have helped, you have not come to us too late. There is time still for your training."

"Yeah, about that," Kano says. "How am I going to learn airbending?"

"I have meticulously studied all four bending disciplines," Iroh says, "and Katara traveled with Aang for almost a year. Together we can teach you the basics, but you may have to travel to the air temples and seek guidance from past Avatars. Aang will come when you need him to."

"Guidance from past Avatars? What do you mean?"

"You can access your past lives and memories through meditation," Iroh explains.

"Meditation?" Kano repeats. That doesn't sound like her. Awatok is just as surprised by the idea of Kano meditating. It doesn't seem like her at all.

"Meditation is an important part of being the Avatar," Iroh explains, "you are the bridge between our world and the spirit world, and so must be able to meditate to cross over, in addition to contacting your past lives."

"I'm a... bridge?" Kano has no idea what he's talking about.

"I thought the Avatar just used all four bending styles to fight the Phoenix King," Awatok speaks up, "What do you mean, a bridge?"

“No, the Avatar is much more than pure bending force. They are a connection between the spirit world and our world. They keep the peace, or try to reinstate it, in this world; they are a mediator. They bring balance between the four nations and between our world and the spirits."

"Oh. So it's a lot more than just being able to bend all four elements."

"Yes."

"They keep the peace for the whole world?" Awatok asks, suddenly intimidated on his twin's behalf. That's a much bigger job than he thought. Katara speaks up, "Don't worry, Kano. We are all here to support you as you learn. You don't have to take on all this responsibility at once."

"But... wow, that's a lot to do," she says, lowering her arms from their previously crossed position.

"It is, and it starts with training," Zuko replies, "but as Katara said, we are all here to support you. You're not going to do this alone." Kano nods a little.

"Thank you."

Awatok squeezes Kano's hand. _Never alone,_ he adds. 

Pakku asks, "do you have other questions, Kano?"

 _Never alone._ Kano squeezes back. "Are you going to tell anyone else about me?"

"Unless you don't want us to, then yes. It will be a huge morale boost. People will feel like we finally have a chance to win this war and take back our country and freedom. But, if you want to keep it a secret for a few more days to think it over, we won't. But it will get out eventually."

"No, I... yeah. People should know. You can tell them. The fire nation might already know; everyone else should, too.”

"We will make an announcement tonight," Zuko says, "in the main hall. You should be there, Kano."

"I will be."

"Excellent," Pakku smiles. Katara adds, "We're preparing a more secure place for you to sleep. We've sent scouts after the Fire Nation soldiers, but in case one of them gets through, we need to keep you as safe as possible."

"We have many private rooms available for those who do not wish to sleep in the common room," Zuko says, "you will take one of those."

"Why?" Kano asks.

"Pardon?"

"Why shouldn't I sleep in the common room, surrounded by amazing benders who are loyal to the resistance? It’s stupid that you think I should be quarantined away just because I'm the Avatar. People can't get hope from an absent Avatar."

Pakku frowns severely at Kano, clearly disapproving, but Katara smiles. "You have a decent point, Kano. Perhaps we're being too cautious."

"I think you are. The Fire Nation hasn't found this place yet, and they won’t." Kano crosses her arms again. "I think you are being too paranoid."

"Well, then, maybe we can reconsider the move," Katara says, glancing at the other White Lotus members.

Iroh nods. "If Kano would like to remain in the commons, then let her remain."

"Thank you."

Pakku tsks and rolls his eyes. "Very well..." Awatok smiles, squeezing Kano's hand.

She nods. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Not just now," Katara answers, "Take some time to relax. You've had a long day. We'll send Lin for you when we're ready to make the announcement tonight."

"Okay," Kano says with a nod. "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me a while to edit because it's such a pivotal point in the story. The second of three big twists I have planned, and probably the most important (and predictable) one. I wanted to get it just right. Updates should come more regularly now.


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